Aston Villa have confirmed that ex-Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish will be their new manager. A statement on the club website announced that McLeish, who quit as Blues boss last Sunday, has taken over his managerial duties with immediate effect. The 52-year-old said: "I am honoured to have this opportunity to manage a club with such a fantastic history as Aston Villa's. "The heritage, the history of success and the tradition of Aston Villa are compelling and irresistible. The challenge for me is to try to add my own chapter. "Since first becoming a manager at Motherwell, my desire to succeed and my energy and drive have never waned. My objective is to impart that drive and will to win to the players and fans of Aston Villa. "I know that some of our fans have voiced concerns and I can understand why. It will be up to me to convince you that I am the right man to drive the Club forward and I intend to give absolutely everything to prove that I can be a success at the Club." McLeish has penned a three-year deal at Villa Park. Villa supporters had protested about the ex-Blues boss being given the job, but the club's hierarchy insist they got the best man for the job. Paul Faulkner, chief executive of Aston Villa, said: "We believe we have appointed the right man for the job. "Unquestionably, Alex meets the criteria we set out at the beginning of our search which was based on proven Premier League experience, leadership, a hard-working ethic and, most importantly, a shared vision for Aston Villa. "Alex is someone with whom we will work close and work well together. "With our strong squad combining the necessary virtues of experience and the exciting potential of our young players, our objective is to compete as strongly as we possibly can. "Alex's vast experience and proven abilities demonstrate clearly that he is a strong leader and an ambitious man and we are looking forward very much to the exciting new season about to start."
Glad this appointment has been made especially as it is recommended by Alex Fergusson. How long has he been the main influence in Aston Villas affairs?
Oxford fan in peace What a poor appointment this is, I expected much more from Villa. I don't know what's going on at Villa but just look at the calibre of the candidates previously linked with the job, Steve McClaren and Roberto Martinez, surely Villa fans should be able expect better than this
Congrats on your new manager! Hope he doesn't emulate 'arry and go back to brum in 12 months. Good luck for the season!
This is excellent news, just proves Darren Bent made the right decision in joining a progressive club. This appointment should ensure you progress to the Championship! Aston Villa are Englands biggest laughing stock along with the Barcodes!
Sorry villa fans but i think you have a donkey on your hands there, Im an Aberdeen fan and i remember Mcleish on the pitch and he is still considered a huge legend up north but managerially his career has been more down than up, and as fiberglass mentioned not sure why McLaren was passed up, surely a more experienced option
£2m per year contract! This is a really strange appointment. There are far better managers out there at the moment, but I have to wonder how many of them that were interviewed for the job actually turned it down after speaking to the owner? Martinez preferring to stay at little Wigan Athletic speaks volumes to me.
Are you boys for real? I can only assume you're talking about some other McLaren and not the one who single handedly ruined England and Wolfsberg. I like Big Eck but i fear this management move is a little too similar to Ian Dowie moving over to my beloved Charlton Athletic from our arch enemy Crystal Palarse... I sincerely hope that's where the similarities end and that for your boys the end result is not the same...!!
McLaren isn't more experienced. McLeish has been a manager since 1994, McClaren didn't get a top job until 2001. McLeish won as many trophies as Martin O'Neil in their time as opposing OF managers. Both have won the league cup in England. Both have been international managers, McLeish arguably did better than McLaren at that level (highest win rate of any scottish manager ever [70%] compared to McClaren's 50% win rate and record of being the first england manager to fail to qualify for a major tournament since 1994). Nonetheless, still an odd choice for both parties. If Villa don't get off to a flyer next season, things could get tasty.
I would have thought that Villa would have gone for someone with a bit more of a track record. This appointment seems a bit lacklustre. I can't believe that Villa went from a top 4 challenging team 2-3 seasons ago to one that were hovering around the relegation zone during this one. I can't see that McLeish will take you anywhere different to be honest
Don't seem to mention how he was Middlesbrough's most successful manager and the job he did at FC Twente?
I thought exactly the same, but we all know never to let proper facts get in the way of a bad opinion.
