villan-scott

I will welcome him and give him a chance. Vastly experienced, great contacts, well respected, and ambitious, what more could we want? I'm happy to have Houllier at the helm as I believe he has what it takes and the know-how to be allow us to continue our challenge for fourth. I'm looking forward to seeing what he does in the transfer market in January, I wonder if Djibril Cisse fancies another crack at the Premier League I have every confidence he will show to be a good appointment, and we could have definitely done a lot worse!! Everybody needs to give the guy a chance! UTV!!

This. This. This. I'm sick to death of people coming on here and digging and digging at RL and the running of our club. He has done a fantastic job getting us to where we are now. The value of Aston Villa has more than likely trebled or even quadrupled in his tenure, down to TV money, but also down to his running and investments in the club. I'm 110% confident that RL will get the best man he deems possible for Villa, at whatever cost. I don't see him skimping out and getting the 'cheap' option, he will get the best realistic candidate that wants to manage Villa. If it's Houllier then so be it, we all need to get behind him, and the team, and do our job, support Aston Villa. And FWIW I don't imagine Houllier will be all that cheap, as he has earnt the right to earn good money for what he does. A manager who has won as much as he has, and achieved at what he has at clubs more world renowned than ours deserves to earn good money, and I'm sure he won't come cheaply. So all you cynical so and so's who fail to see the positives, and tend to focus all their energies on slating the club and RL, and homing in on every slight negative there may be. For me the positives of the last 4 years heavily outweigh the negatives, and feel RL is striving to keep it that way.

Maybe he wants to talk it over with KMacD's girlfriend? I reckon Mac's girlfriend should be DoF, she seems to make a lot of decisions for him so why not get her on the pay roll as well.

I would imagine Houllier is fitter and in better shape than he was 10 years ago due to his illness. He looks to have lost a lot of weight so people concerned with his health are just looking for an excuse to moan IMO.

IMO I can't see it being Kev making that decision next time we play.

I agree with this. It shouldn't take this long to get Houllier from his peripheral role with the French federation, so I agree we must be working on something else, or else Houllier would have been appointed by now (Thursday, yesterday or today even). Houllier is plan B imo. No idea who's plan A, although if I were to hazard a guess I'd say Moyes. Think Randy digs him :winkold: I was thinking Moyes as well. There has been no denial from his end or from Everton after very strong links in the week, and the rumours of him cancelling Everton photo shoots and the like make me think that maybe, just maybe it might be him. Like I said I don't think it is as straightforward as everybody is making out. Houllier is a great plan B imo. And even if he doesn't get the managers job, maybe he would still like to be involved in the club and help us set-up a scouting network, and help build a dynasty for the future.

http://tinyurl.com/38pfktz Great news. Will be glad to see him back, hopefully whoever is in charge for next Monday can get him into a more advanced position where he can do some real damage.

If it is Houllier then so be it, I think he could do a very good job in whatever capacity he arrives in. However, I don't think it is a straightforward as this, as it is taking so long, I feel that we are still trying to negotiate the release of a manager from a club, and if this fails to materialise then we appoint Houllier IMO. That's my gut feeling anyway. All this talk of the General, he was voicing HIS opinions and NOT the CLUBS. So for all we know we could be pursuing an employed manager, and this is the reason for the delay. I think Randy has been covering all his bases' by interviewing unemployed managers in the mean time. I hope .

How does an interview end in contretemps though really?? Not the best way to sell yourself by all accounts.

If we get Houllier in I think he could be one of the best things to happen to the club due to the doors he would open. The idea of him is really growing on me.

That's fine. The problems will start happening when Houllier starts to buy players without manager's permission or sells. The manager needs to be the one who decides who comes in and out, Houllier can recommend players but manager needs to be the one making all the decisions. So the players he has are the players he wants. The scouting network would be a great asset to the club and enable to find gems that we have been calling out for. Mac will need all the help he can get if he is given the role of manager/head coach as being a reserve team manager i'm not sure you have many connections powerful enough and good enough to pull in major transfers and coups for the club. Having Houllier on board alongside him would allow that, which I'm all for. As long as Mac and Houllier can work in tandem, and they can build a good understanding and working relationship then I have no qualms with a DoF, but when a DoF starts doing more than his job remit, then the troubles begin. If Houllier recommends and Mac has the final say then great, but if Houllier signs players and Mac doesn't want or need them, that's when it all goes pear shaped.

That was a completely pointless feature from SSN. All he said was exactly what the papers have been saying, just speculating about what could happen, and mentioned the same 4 names, Curbs, Sven, Mac, and Houllier. I feel it's more comlicated than that and there are more people involved than those 4. I guess Sky were expecting an announcement today as Pete Colley was at the ground and nobody else is/was.

There's going to be 100 pages in a few hours when it gets confirmed or close it My guess was 455 because I thought something might happen Today... Little did I know that this was becoming a chatroom for insomniacs! MM has stated that they still don't know who they want, so my guess is 1065 pages if it carries on at this rate!! Well at least we know they're not taking this decision lightly as it's been nearly a month now!!

The French martin O'Neill. Lol Is that code for French clearing in the woods? Although I would agree with the sentiment. Domenech is about as popular as a fart in a lift, people thought Ireland was raving mad, he's nothing on Ol' Raymond D!!

Anybody else feeling an announcement brewing tomorrow or just me wishful thinking?

Hmm Paris then? Who's in Paris? Tigana or Santini... I hope if it's either of those that it was a courtesy interview as from what I can remember, they weren't great.

Ranieri would be awesome, just can't see it as he's at his club Roma, and doing a good job. Never say never though, as the pulling power of the Premier League is strong, and he might fancy another crack with funds from Randy promised maybe?

I'm certain RL isn't just sat on his back side watching the world pass by and watching SSN thinking 'Hmmm... that Curbishley fella looks good, he'll do.' We all need to keep a little faith in the running of our club, as far as I'm aware they are doing a pretty good job apart from a few media myths. RL will get the best man for the job, and if we don't agree then we should give the appointed man time, and then judge if it all goes pear shaped. As my sig says 'My glass is half full'.

This. I hope he managed to sell himself as well as you have sold him here. I think he has one big job left in him, and I would be happy for that job to be Villa and getting us to kick on into the top 4. He has the contacts and experience to be able to let us do this, and is capable of getting us to produce scintilating football. I think Ireland played some of his best football under Sven, not his best when in tandem with Robinho, but some of his best the year before. I'd be happy for Sven to come in and utilise Ireland in his best position.

Indeed. I think we have discussed a new manager every day for the last 5 days, and every single one of their odds have come tumbling, and then we all believe that they are going to be the new manager, myself included!! It's like groundhog day. Whoever is appointed will have their flaws, and their positives, I just hope that whoever comes in has different flaws to what MON had so we can all have something new to complain about

I think it was more than that, I think he broke the 20 goal barrier, although that was nearly 10 years ago!

Heh. Houllier's absolutely terrible in the transfer market. DO NOT WANT. Imaginative doesn't always mean good. He takes risks in the market, sometimes they pay off sometimes they don't. I'm looking forward to having a manager who makes signings from overseas that can excite fans and create a buzz at VP and possibly attract bigger crowds.

:!: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:

The idea of Houllier is a grower, as long as he was running first team affairs and not Mac, I don't mind Mac being involved but I'd want Houllier to have the reigns. Great experience, a winner, imaginative in the transfer market, and the know-how of England and the English game.

Would it be Houllier as manager or DoF though? I'm hoping manager as that would mean Mac would be picking the team and doing all the manager stuff still which I wouldn't be too keen on. Houllier as manager I wouldn't mind though, worth a cheeky bet if the trees is correct.