Confirmed: Houllier is the new Villa manager

[BOF]

Dont know if its been mentioned.

But Telegraph says that K-Mac will remain head coach with Gerard Houllier rumoured to be in the Director of Football role.

Could work.

[Pricey_1984]

I really can't believe people still think it's anyone other than Kevin MacDonald.

We leave it three weeks to see if he wants the job. He then publicly announces he wants job. OS highlight this fact. Players all clamour for him to be signed. Very easy (and cheap!) for Lerner to appoint him. It's a done deal.

BUT don't make that obvious to the public. Look like you're going through the options, look like you're exploring every avenue. Pretend you would have had money for transfers if the transfer window hadn't been closed on announcement of new manager. Finally leave it at least a few days/ week until after transfer window has closed to try to dampen down any suggestions of previous comment.

I'll quite happily eat my words but I'm convinced this is the case. Villa want to reduce the wage bill.... mmm, very lucky inexperienced guy desperate for a job in the top division or someone like Sven who may demand a reasonably high wage.... tricky....

:notworthy:

The lack of respect for Mr Lerner and the General by certain contributors on here is quite shocking. It appears that the tabloid press journalists and that font of all knowledge, Sky Sports News, are far more believable than a couple of people who have brought so many positives to our club and never given us any reason to question their honesty and integrity.

If Mr Lerner were to just appoint KMac after putting up a pretence, why is he staying in Birmingham and travelling up and down to various European destinations in his search for a manager? All he would need to do is sit at home, make the 'pretence' that is described above, and appoint KMac.

And on the subject of KMac, a great Villa man, some of the comments about him on here are disgraceful. He has been thrown into the lion's den merely by stepping forward at a point when the club was in need.

He has been at our club for 15 years, and deserves far more respect than his detractors are showing him.

well said mate.

now who are you putting your money on? :winkold: lol

[fran_villa]

All interviews held after transfer window is shut ..... coundnt theses hav been done 10 days ago?

I'm sure it's because they had to draw up a shortlist.IMO they didn't seem prepared at all ,I like to see that saying taken off our crest because we are never prepared ffs..

[danceoftheshamen]

Has to be said i too think KM has had a really rough ride by many. The guy worked a minor miracle really to even remotely hold things together with the evacuation of virtually the entire management & coaching team. I mean even the chief scout walked by all accounts for goodness sake! So not surprising we lost a couple amidst all that chaos & to actually win a couple was nothing short of miraculous.

So just wanted to say, with the apparent impending appointment of our new manager/head coach or whoever is about to be bestowed upon us, that i think KM deserves a massive Thank You. If he is appointed then good luck to him, if not then i hope he finds himself where he truly wants to be he deserves it.

[wiggyrichard]

All interviews held after transfer window is shut ..... coundnt theses hav been done 10 days ago?

I'm sure it's because they had to draw up a shortlist.IMO they didn't seem prepared at all ,I like to see that saying taken off our crest because we are never prepared ffs..

Bloody hell Fran!!!

Do you really think RL had any idea that MON was going to throw his toys out of the pram 5 days before the season started??

[Ponky]

Dont know if its been mentioned.

But Telegraph says that K-Mac will remain head coach with Gerard Houllier rumoured to be in the Director of Football role.

Could work.

It would depend greatly on the rapport between the two and how their philosopies blend together. Would be hard to have Houllier chasing players that don't suit the way KM would want to play etc - they'd need to have very well-defined roles and responsibilities.

[Jez]

So Dave Woodhall spouts something on a forum that might have been fed to him on purpose, although not necessarily true.

Shock horror journo reads forum and reports it.

[wiggyrichard]

Has to be said i too think KM has had a really rough ride by many. The guy worked a minor miracle really to even remotely hold things together with the evacuation of virtually the entire management & coaching team. I mean even the chief scout walked by all accounts for goodness sake! So not surprising we lost a couple amidst all that chaos & to actually win a couple was nothing short of miraculous.

So just wanted to say, with the apparent impending appointment of our new manager/head coach or whoever is about to be bestowed upon us, that i think KM deserves a massive Thank You. If he is appointed then good luck to him, if not then i hope he finds himself where he truly wants to be he deserves it.

I agree with all that.

As much as i would love to say ''give it to KM he deserves it!'' and my heart would love that, my head is saying ''its a massive ask''. My ideal situation as i said previous would be for KM to be an assistant to whoever is appointed.

The last thing i would want is for KM to be appointed, Villa to struggle, and as we all know he would then be bombed out of the club by the fickle fans we have....thus losing a great coach with 15 years service.

[Cracker1234]

TheTrees would only know something if someone was flying into the country...I would assume?

I guess it's not someone already in this country or they could be flying from up north?

[danceoftheshamen]

OMG lets hope the appointment is not made in just under 500 posts time because that will be the 6666 post anouncing the arrival of........HIM :shock:

[fran_villa]

All interviews held after transfer window is shut ..... coundnt theses hav been done 10 days ago?

I'm sure it's because they had to draw up a shortlist.IMO they didn't seem prepared at all ,I like to see that saying taken off our crest because we are never prepared ffs..

Bloody hell Fran!!!

Do you really think RL had any idea that MON was going to throw his toys out of the pram 5 days before the season started??

I agree about randy,I just ment not prepared in other areas,such as transfer,maybe those days are gone with o'runner!.

[Ponky]

OMG lets hope the appointment is not made in just under 500 posts time because that will be the 6666 post anouncing the arrival of........HIM :shock:

Which would be 6000 posts too late!

[Villarocker]

*reads Mirror article*

**** classic PompeyVillan

[Jez]

Alan Curbishley and Sven Goran Eriksson in frame for Aston Villa job

The interviewing stage of Aston Villa’s search for Martin O’Neill’s replacement will draw to a close this week, with both Alan Curbishley and Sven Goran Eriksson understood to have already met the club’s owner Randy Lerner.

By Sandy Macaskill

Published: 7:30AM BST 02 Sep 2010

The American returned to Birmingham with his chief executive Paul Faulkner on Wednesday to sift through their impressions of two days of clandestine meetings in London.

The process, which began in earnest on Monday, appears to be gradually nearing a conclusion. Telegraph Sport understands that the club hope to make an announcement within the next five days.

Although Curbishley and Eriksson are in the frame - Gerard Houllier is also thought to be under consideration after some unconfirmed reports suggesting Lerner had paid the former Liverpool manager a visit in Corsica - it remains possible that Kevin MacDonald, the reserve manager currently overseeing first team affairs in a caretaker role, could still be retained in the role of head coach with a director of football alongside him.

Faulkner has asked a number of high profile football personalities about the practicality of such a move, to positive feedback.

Villa had privately let on that they would not be averse to the idea of approaching a manager already in employment - they took soundings over both Alex McLeish and Steve Bruce, while Mark Hughes and David Moyes were both identified as strong candidates - but it appears as though they have now cooled on the idea.

General Charles Krulak, Lerner’s confidant and non-executive board member, has expressed his own private concerns about hiring a manager who has proven his disloyalty. “As a fan, not a board member, I am not sure that getting someone who has bailed from their club is something I would feel comfortable about,” he said.

Clicky

[thetrees]

Anybody know what time Paddy Power open the book up?

I'm trying to get a bet on, but they are not offering.

Announcement within the next 24 hours, I think.

on who?

I put all my Ladbrokes money (not much!) on Houllier.

PaddyPower not available.

Could be announced as early as this afternoon.

[Neil]

OMG lets hope the appointment is not made in just under 500 posts time because that will be the 6666 post anouncing the arrival of........HIM :shock:

your sure its a him then? imagine if it wasnt :shock:

[BOF]

The lack of respect for Mr Lerner and the General by certain contributors on here is quite shocking. It appears that the tabloid press journalists and that font of all knowledge, Sky Sports News, are far more believable than a couple of people who have brought so many positives to our club and never given us any reason to question their honesty and integrity.

...

And on the subject of KMac, a great Villa man, some of the comments about him on here are disgraceful. He has been thrown into the lion's den merely by stepping forward at a point when the club was in need.

He has been at our club for 15 years, and deserves far more respect than his detractors are showing him.

Well said on both counts. It appears as though opinions can be as disrespectful, flippant and ignorant as they want on the internet once they're hidden behind anonymity. And people clearly feel free to say whatever they want about someone's integrity while giving themselves the get-out clause that they'll "happily eat my words as long as I can be as pig-ignorant and insulting as possible until such point as I'm proven wrong and am forced to retract".

The sad part is that if KMac is appointed, all of these people who are currently claiming that it's a done deal will say 'told you so' and will seem justified in where they stood all along, even if the reality of why and how he was appointed; and the circumstances and timing of why he was appointed clearly differ from what they believed.

If some people genuinely believe the club are not bothering and that the club have already made their minds up, then these people obviously believe that the board are unprofessional and have no respect for this club. These posters therefore can't possibly support this board in any way, shape or form. Given what I've witnessed over the past 4 years I find that a difficult point of view to have any sympathy for.

[Villa5shitty1-down-u-go]

Just put £30 on curbs at 6 - 1 in ladbrokes (got a feeling) - this is one bet i dont mind losing

[BOF]

I put all my Ladbrokes money (not much!) on Houllier.

PaddyPower not available.

Could be announced as early as this afternoon.

Have you any ITK on this or was it the trip to Corsica the other day that steered you in Houllier's direction?

[Neil]

Have you any ITK on this or was it the trip to Corsica the other day that steered you in Houllier's direction?

I'm wondering this too...be nice to have some inside info to make a bet on :winkold: