Bradley: No contact from Villa
USA manager Bob Bradley has once again admitted that he would be very interested in becoming the new boss of Aston Villa but has not had any contact from the club.
Bradley was one of the favourites to be given the permanent managerial job when Martin O'Neill resigned just days before the start of the Premier League season.
Kevin MacDonald has since been installed as the caretaker manager and will feel that he deserves the first chance to manage the club on a long-term basis. Owner Randy Lerner has already said that he will take his time over the decision.
Bradley has a number of coaching qualities that would see him do well in the Premier League if he was given the chance. However, some will say that his appointment would be far too risky as he does not have any previous experience of coaching in England or Europe.
Coaching qualities
It was clear for all to see during the World Cup that Bradley is not an egotistical or loud manager. He is quite laid back and puts complete faith in the players he picks to go out and represent his team.
He's a good man manager because he has got some very mediocre American players competing with the likes of England, Brazil, Spain and other high profile countries. This suggests he can take low quality players and make them believe they are good enough at all levels of football.
Bradley makes his point straight away and then retracts immediately. This is a great skill for a coach to have. This is because he will avoid lengthy spells of criticism and cannot be accused of not taking a stand over important issues in the sport.
He said: "There has not been any contact. I think everyone knows that for the moment Kevin MacDonald is the caretaker manager and I think the first step is for a decision to be made with him. He's a good man. I think the possibility of working in the Premiership at some point would be a goal, for sure."
A huge risk
Some will suggest that if Lerner pushes through Bradley as the new manager then it will be a huge risk and an example of owners having too much control in football.
It's a risk because Bradley has never managed a European team. He will not be familiar with the systems that European coaches are required to work under and this could have a dramatic impact on the way Aston Villa start playing.
He added: "(I am) someone who has put the years in and my experiences in the US and with our national team have been great. With all the travels I've had a great opportunity to be in England, see what goes on at different clubs, be at matches and I'm a huge fan of the Premiership. I've had a chance to be around some different clubs and I've seen the way things go and it's the best league in the world."
Betting advice
Villa are a very difficult team to predict at the moment. They had a very bad result losing 6-0 to Newcastle United in their last game and MacDonald will have to work very quickly to get the team playing well.
The vibes around Bradley are positive and things could go well for Villa if they appoint him as the next permanent manager. He possesses a very calm manner and has the ability to make this rub off on others. His appointment won't change Villa's chances of winning the Premier League, which are zero.
However, the club will stand a good chance in domestic cup competitions regardless of any situation.
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