Confirmed: Houllier is the new Villa manager

[jimmygreaves]

Bugger off it was yonks ago !

Sorry mate, I'm gonna walk away and not get into this.

You really dont know the history of this club do you !

Yonks ago !

Next you'll be saying "its only a game !"

Exactly history of the club and in this case ages ago, like someone else said do you still not buy anything German

Also youre not the guy who wrote to trading standards complaining after one of the babe cast birds flashed some clunge at 4am are you?

Curbishly played for us in the early 80's.... This got a bit tough for the club and Curbs **** us off, citing the clubs position for his departure.

Wasn't willing to stay on and contribute to getting the club out of the shit.

He becomes boss and a better offer comes along or things are getting difficult........ Well he's shat on us before and he'll shat on us again.

rocket polisher - not Villa manager material!

[holtender4life]

By the way, who are you to say who the club should or shouldnt be interviewing. As a fan you have the right to spout your opinion but the club can interview who the **** they like. Martin Jol et al are not available, when are you going to realise this?

[jimmygreaves]

By the way, who are you to say who the club should or shouldnt be interviewing. As a fan you have the right to spout your opinion but the club can interview who the **** they like. Martin Jol et al are not available, when are you going to realise this?

I hear David O'Leary has made himself available...... would he be OK?

[Houlston]

Bugger off it was yonks ago !

Sorry mate, I'm gonna walk away and not get into this.

You really dont know the history of this club do you !

Yonks ago !

Next you'll be saying "its only a game !"

Exactly history of the club and in this case ages ago, like someone else said do you still not buy anything German

Also youre not the guy who wrote to trading standards complaining after one of the babe cast birds flashed some clunge at 4am are you?

Curbishly played for us in the early 80's.... This got a bit tough for the club and Curbs **** us off, citing the clubs position for his departure.

Wasn't willing to stay on and contribute to getting the club out of the shit.

He becomes boss and a better offer comes along or things are getting difficult........ Well he's shat on us before and he'll shat on us again.

rocket polisher - not Villa manager material!

Thanks for the history lesson any chance of a synopsis on the battle of hastings whilst youre in full flow.

I dont want him as manager but not because of what he did whilst he was an average football player in the 80's but because he's an average football manager now. Anyway mute point it aint gonna happen.

[Ulver]

As a fan you have the right to spout your opinion but the club can interview who the **** they like.

True they can, but he as a supporter can also say/think whatever the **** he wants as its his club

[Oaks]

Ive hated Houllier ever since he said Boateng made a meal of Gerrards horror foul in 2001. We won that game 3-1 happy days.

[sjinus]

Can someone ask John Carew what he thinks of Gerard Houllier !!!!!

Personally, I think a Houllier-MacDonald combo will be fine for now.

[Oaks]

But if he's named Villa manager, im gonna have to swallow my pride and support him, i just hope everyones wrong, because i really do hate this guy.

[holtender4life]

He isnt available is he, and even if he was that wouldnt happen would it. We dont even know if Curbishley was **** interviewed do we!!!! Its just heresay. You can't taint every player who left a club because they were struggling

[gabbygabbygabbygabbygabby]

There have been a lot of negativity towards Gerard Houllier on this site, to which I have contributed, mostly because of his appalling transfer record at Liverpool, the Baros/Carew incident and, not least, his boring style of football.

However I think it's only fair to point out some of the more positive stuff about the man as well, so here goes.

-he assisted France when they won the WC in 1998.

-his Lyon teams in 2005/06 and 06/07 won the French league with bigger margins (15 points and 17 points) than both his predecessors Santini in 01/02 (2 points) and Paul le Guen in 02/03, 03/04, 04/05 (1, 3 and 12 points) AND his successor Alain Perrin (4 points).

-looking at his time at Lyon, in contrast to his Liverpool spell, he actually made quite a number of decent signings, Carew being his first of course.

Here's the players he signed for Lyon:

John Carew Besiktas £ 5000000 27-06-2005

Benoit Pedretti Marseille Signed 01-07-2005

Sylvain Monsoreau Sochaux Signed 01-07-2005

Tiago Chelsea £ 6500000 23-08-2005

Frederico Chaves Guedes (Fred) Signed 01-09-2005

Kim Kallstrom Rennes Signed 01-08-2006

Jeremy Toulalan Nantes Signed 01-08-2006

Sebastien Squillaci Monaco Signed 01-08-2006

Alou Diarra Lens Signed 01-09-2006

Milan Baros Aston Villa Signed 22-01-2007

Maybe he's grown wiser with age (as most people do hopefully), eh? :winkold:

Give him some credit for signing Riise, Hyypia, Henchoz, Barmby, Hamann. He made some poor signings but also some very good ones. Much like MON or ANY OTHER MANAGER!!

[AVFC-Prideofbrum]

There have been a lot of negativity towards Gerard Houllier on this site, to which I have contributed, mostly because of his appalling transfer record at Liverpool, the Baros/Carew incident and, not least, his boring style of football.

However I think it's only fair to point out some of the more positive stuff about the man as well, so here goes.

-he assisted France when they won the WC in 1998.

-his Lyon teams in 2005/06 and 06/07 won the French league with bigger margins (15 points and 17 points) than both his predecessors Santini in 01/02 (2 points) and Paul le Guen in 02/03, 03/04, 04/05 (1, 3 and 12 points) AND his successor Alain Perrin (4 points).

-looking at his time at Lyon, in contrast to his Liverpool spell, he actually made quite a number of decent signings, Carew being his first of course.

Here's the players he signed for Lyon:

John Carew Besiktas £ 5000000 27-06-2005

Benoit Pedretti Marseille Signed 01-07-2005

Sylvain Monsoreau Sochaux Signed 01-07-2005

Tiago Chelsea £ 6500000 23-08-2005

Frederico Chaves Guedes (Fred) Signed 01-09-2005

Kim Kallstrom Rennes Signed 01-08-2006

Jeremy Toulalan Nantes Signed 01-08-2006

Sebastien Squillaci Monaco Signed 01-08-2006

Alou Diarra Lens Signed 01-09-2006

Milan Baros Aston Villa Signed 22-01-2007

Maybe he's grown wiser with age (as most people do hopefully), eh? :winkold:

Give him some credit for signing Riise, Hyypia, Henchoz, Barmby, Hamann. He made some poor signings but also some very good ones. Much like MON or ANY OTHER MANAGER!!

Mostly shit though.

When your best signings are Henchoz and Barmby for Liverpool your struggling to be fair. :?

[Demitri_C]

i must be the only one who would welcome houllier. think he would be a excllent addition to us

[StewieGriffin]

Houllier's contacts etc I think would make him a useful DOF/senior figure for us, but his abilities as a manager/coach coupled with his age and apparent health issues concern me with regards to being the manager

[srsmithusa]

1) PaulandDonya - I am a recent addition to the villa fold, but unlike some others, I believe the history is important and had no idea of the history with Curbishly. As far as I'm concerned, he should be off the list of potentials based on the history alone. Thanks for bringing us all up to speed on what we missed. IMO those who think it doesn't matter are being foolish.

2) I'm a little tired of every name mentioned getting raped on here as not good enough. It's rediculous. It turns out that a lot of decisions I've made in my life didn't turn out as I'd hoped. Sometimes you take a chance on a player with tons of promise and they don't pan out. It doesn't mean you're a useless idiot of a manager. Get a grip. My personal preference on the current list is Houllier, but I was excited by MON and he walked out with no notice 5 days before the season. None of us know how well any of them will do, or how deeply any of them will bury us. Sir Alex isn't good enough to guarantee success with him at the helm. Neither is anyone on the list, or any of us.

[RunRickyRun]

i must be the only one who would welcome houllier. think he would be a excllent addition to us

I think the same.

Of all the realistic possible appointments, Houllier or Sven with KMac in a prominent first team role would do for me.

[Cracker1234]

I know I'm maybe wrong, but I remember hearing something about Rafa Benitez not being able to sign players from Liverpool when he went to Inter..Something in the contracted he signed if he left the club, but because Inter have people who do the buying for them it was ok for Inter to put offers in for players from Liverpool, that way Benitez isn't breaking any contract rules.

Maybe we need a DOF and Lerner has spoken to someone who is currently in work, but this person would like to make offers for players from his old club.....Maybe we need the DOF in place before this other clubs manager joins us, so it don't look as iffy as it would if they both joined at the same time?

Just a thought.

[steaknchips]

Houllier isnt good enough in the transfer market for Villa..Yes he would do well in a club with a bottomless pit of money where he can make huge signings and if they dont work he can just buy another.

We need a manager that can scout young players and spot decent talent that can actually bring a few bob into the club over the long haul..Houllier will drain the funds on waste,going by previous jobs he's had!

[TheEgo]

I've just posted this on the Gens thread, but I am gonna put it here as it is apt. I had stick yesterday from people when I went berzerk over Curbishley.

Now just coz I am 40 and someone who is 20 - doesn't mean I am a better fan. But I think I put it well below - why - I do not want Curbislhey under ANY circumstances. hope it shows why some of us are so anti him

-----

I read your response and to be honest, can't disagree. However, this is why I myself am angry (and, yep - it's all media speculation).

You yourself keep saying things like "left the club high and dry" "left us in the lurch" - and things to that effect. So, presumably, you ain't very happy with martin O'Neill at the momet (and I will say I told you so , coz I told you many many times !)

So think of my dismay when I hear that we have interviewed a guy who did exactly the same to us 25 yrs ago, leaving us to get relegated, then when we did, was all over the TV, press with a smug grin on his face saying "Joining Villa was the biggest mistake of my career"

And THAT is why I was / am angry ! and yes, it was 25 yrs ago. But this club was dying at the time, I am sure you can associate with this. Some chose to stay and fight - the likes of Allan Evans, some chose to run away, the likes of Steve McMahon - and some, chose to run, join the enemy and tried to kill us - and sorry, would you trust a guy who did that to you - no matter how much time passed ?

Just coz I am older, doesn't make me more of a fan. But what it does do is I / some others have longer memories, and can remember the people who took the pee out of this club (Curb / Hodge - sorry wash my mouth out / Collymore / Curcic / and the most, McNeill !) and the ones that bled claret and blue (Graham Taylor to name one that often gets slagged off on here. Believe me, if it wasn't for him, Randy wouldn't have a tattoo, as there would be no football club !)

We have a motto Proud History / Bright Future - I just wish (again, if it is true of course) that someone had looked at the history before we interviewed ! (and I apologise if he never was interviewed and it was media crap !)

I'll be completely honest with you, irrespective of age. Your post lost ALL credibility for me, the second you started using 'coz' instead of 'because' maybe petty, however if you can't be bothered to use credible english, then I can't see anybody taking you to seriously.

[MikeMcKenna]

i must be the only one who would welcome houllier. think he would be a excllent addition to us

Demitri

From what I have seen over the last two days, there would appear to be more support for Houllier than you realise.

Personally I would be happy to give him the role as either Manager or DoF rather than employ the "never have-beens" like Curbishley etc that some seem prepared to accept.

As it stands I don't see how Villa can get to the next level whoever takes over so would rather they try a different set up. In the past the DoF/ 1st coach set up has failed in England invariably because of the big egos involved or a lack of clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Although defined in a different way, many clubs on the continent do something similar.

Whilst many are violently opposed to KM as coach, I believe if that if a man of Houllier's experience could work jointly with KM on tactics and player selection it may work. KM clearly hasnt got the big ego that many managers have and therefore would not be adverse to working as part of team.

As many people of my generation will recall, although Brian Clough was renowned as an egotistical manager, much of his success was due to his assistant Peter Taylor who was responsible for spotting a number of great players and coaching the team. Although their relationship was considered very different to DoF/Coach they did function as a team that achieved tremendous success at Forest and Derby.

KM is well respected by the team and despite some of the crap about him Houllier enjoyed success at Liverpool and is well respected in the game.

As always I could be totally wrong but if the Club have decided to give this idea a shot, I think it could work. However if we go for a mediocre manager the risk that we will start to slide is imo even greater.

[RunRickyRun]

Agree with you Mike. Top post