Interview with DOL | Vital Football

Interview with DOL

From a site called "the coaches voice". Talks about his time at Villa and is very complimentary despite his difficulties towards the end of his time.

Very interesting to hear just how tight Doug was including calling DOL to inquire what food was leftover after the players had finished eating and how much petrol he was putting in his car.

And yes he does say "honest bunch of lads".
 
Never been a DOL basher; he was hung out to dry. When it was learnt that Lerner was to buy the club he said he hoped he'd be given the chance to see what he could do under a new owner. Wasn't to be. Did wonder if he'd have made a better fist of it than MON.
 
Started so well and now my attention has been thrown, three paragraphs in and I see “honest bunch of lads”.

DOL isn’t a likeable guy to me, I don’t relate to people in management who love themselves. That said, his first season in charge with Angel becoming a cult hero scoring 3-4 goals at home what seemed fairly regularly if my memory serves me right, was a great season.

Those Bolton semi finals he refers to... 😒
 
Never had a huge problem with him either, I thought it was a great appointment at the time and that first season finishing 6th was great.

Did he actually manage after that? Nothing of note anyway.

In fact, has any manager since Big Ron gone on to anything bigger and better after leaving Villa?

I don't think they have, unless someone can correct me.
 
Stephen Jay Hawkings said:
Never had a huge problem with him either, I thought it was a great appointment at the time and that first season finishing 6th was great.

Did he actually manage after that? Nothing of note anyway.

In fact, has any manager since Big Ron gone on to anything bigger and better after leaving Villa?

I don't think they have, unless someone can correct me.
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Can only think of John Gregory going to Chennaiyin FC
 
McParlandTheGreat said:
Never been a DOL basher; he was hung out to dry. When it was learnt that Lerner was to buy the club he said he hoped he'd be given the chance to see what he could do under a new owner. Wasn't to be. Did wonder if he'd have made a better fist of it than MON.
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If he had more money to spend in that first season then who knows. We finished 4 points off top four. Solano was a top quality signing and to this day the best right winger I've seen play for us in a very long time.
 
He actually got closer to getting into the champions league in his first season than MON did in his 4 years at the club. If we'd not had such an awful start we'd have actually been top 4 comfortably. We were in the relegation zone towards Christmas yet finished 6th!

I think he lost heart a little when he was not given any real backing after that brush with the top 6. We fell apart so badly at the mid point of his 3 years that his time was definitely up.

Still he signed Laursen, bouma and I witnessed my first ever blues wins in person due to him so I have a few fond memories.
 
danvilla2 said:
DOL isn’t a likeable guy to me, I don’t relate to people in management who love themselves.
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Didn't hear a good word said for him whilst at Villa. Interesting interview though, and the fact he took the gamble of taking the job hoping Doug would be gone. He was a liar though. I was chairman of the shareholders association at the time, and as Buck had always done (successfully) invited him to an evening with us and actually said we would be more than happy if it was done as part of a media night as opposed to what the other managers had all done, giving their time to the association exclusively.

I got a letter back from the managers office saying thanks for the invite, but he didn't want to set a precedent, so wouldn't do one.

I know Tom Ross had also invited him to do an evening with Villa fans - like MON did.

A while later, DOL was asked and said he had never been invited. I recall Tom not being impressed (I would imagine his bosses would have asked him why didn't you invite him) and I got some angry calls and letter (remember those days?) from members - it was an old school association with some very wealthy people in it, asking why I had lied and that Buck would never have done that.

At my own expense, I had to send them all a copy of the invite and the answer.

He'd not say good things about Ellis, but after we hauled Ellis over the coals at one of the AGM's (quite rightly!) he did that strange run across the pitch saluting or waving or whatever the feck that was, to Ellis, saying he'd had a hard time.

Ramble over. All in all, bloke was a sugarbag.

Ironically, he might well have done better spending wise, when Randy was splashign the cash on transfers.
 
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