Confirmed: Houllier is the new Villa manager

[rjw63]

nobody get's lucky over 38 league games

small heath did last season

[CVByrne]

No I don't agree Brian and I don't see why a managers contract should be public knowledge, if the manager does well enough he can get a contract extension. Or we can give him a 2 year contract with a preset agreement that we can fire him for a preset amount, say 1mil in May.

Then you are limiting yourself to the standard of manager who will accept that kind of situation. We're back to the 'paying peanuts getting monkeys' scenario. If you want a decent manager you have to put faith in him with a decent contract. It's as simple as that.

You see I'd prefer we get in an ok manager for this season and get a good one for next rather than get an average one and giving him a long contract just because he's the best of a bad bunch. Houllier is the best of a bad bunch, that's the problem. This will end, and when it does I fear our squad will be in a bad state like when he left Liverpool.

[Houlston]

Houllier is the best of a bad bunch,

The bunch being touted by the media, you dont know who Randy did consider/contact/interview, Houllier is Randys choice and may well be the best of a good bunch.

[BOF]

You see I'd prefer we get in an ok manager for this season and get a good one for next rather than get an average one and giving him a long contract just because he's the best of a bad bunch. Houllier is the best of a bad bunch, that's the problem. This will end, and when it does I fear our squad will be in a bad state like when he left Liverpool.

OK well then our main difference is over how good we both think Houllier is. In my opinion he is a very good manager with a track record of winning trophies, developing youth systems and signing a few duds along the way. I'll take the latter along with the rest. I re-iterate that I think we have hired above ourselves and that this is a bit of a coup for Lerner to be taking one of very few managers who have been able to put it up to Fergie since the PL started and one who had a hugely cushy number sitting behind a desk at the FFF. Houllier must have been just as impressed with what Randy was promising as Randy was with Gerard. I think it's very promising and I don't think we've 'settled' for him at all. I've already said that even if MON had walked in May and we'd signed Houllier in June I'd still have been very happy with this.

[CVByrne]

Houllier is the best of a bad bunch,

The bunch being touted by the media, you dont know who Randy did consider/contact/interview, Houllier is Randys choice and may well be the best of a good bunch.

Well good/bad is a matter of opinion. The managers that we didn't have to pay compensation too were the only ones we considered it seems. So he was the best of a bad bunch. The good managers don't stay out of the managers job that long.

[fran_villa]

can i ask what youths came through his system folks.because im sure Stevies G ect where already there before GH took charge..

[Cracker1234]

Villa fans baffle me at times.

Who were people expecting? José Mourinho? We’ve never appointed a more successful manager than Gérard Houllier and there’s literally nobody with a better CV who we could attract – in or out of work. Jol got fired by Spurs as they’d failed to meet their goals, same with Hughes. Goals that were the same as ours.

It seems to me that a lot of this comes down to bragging rights amongst fellow fans. We wanted Hitzfeld or Koeman or Klinsmann because it’s something shiny and new that nobody else in the Prem has had. Liverpool's former boss Houllier? It’s like going out with one of your mates’ exes.

People are moaning that he sold Carew. Yep, he signed him in the first place too. They’re moaning that he signed Heskey. Yep, Heskey scored more goals under Houllier than the rest of his career put together (a guess but likely true).

Played boring football did he? What? Worse than Spain have for the last 4 years? Or Villa for that matter.

If he signs the type of crap players he did at Liverpool and the team perform as badly as his did there I'm looking forward to seeing strikers score over 20 goals per season, more trophies than we've won in the last 30 years and the majority of his players go on to win the Champions League within months of him departing VP.

This.This.This.

[Cracker1234]

Houllier is the best of a bad bunch,

The bunch being touted by the media, you dont know who Randy did consider/contact/interview, Houllier is Randys choice and may well be the best of a good bunch.

Well good/bad is a matter of opinion. The managers that we didn't have to pay compensation too were the only ones we considered it seems. So he was the best of a bad bunch. The good managers don't stay out of the managers job that long.

Houllier was in a job....He will soon be in another YIPPY!!!

[Super-Villan]

You see I'd prefer we get in an ok manager for this season and get a good one for next rather than get an average one and giving him a long contract just because he's the best of a bad bunch. Houllier is the best of a bad bunch, that's the problem. This will end, and when it does I fear our squad will be in a bad state like when he left Liverpool.

I just don't think it works like that, it's far too simplistic. If you want a manager for a year to wait for another candidate then you leave Kmac as caretaker. You certainly don't get someone the quality of Houllier to come to you and tell him he can only have a year because you're not sure about him. He'd have quite rightly told us to go do one.

If you appoint a permanent manager you have to show confidence in them. If you don't like him, that's up to you, but personally I'd be even more concerned if the club was appointing a manager in a half-hearted way, even if it was someone I really didn't like - Curbs or someone. It would show weak leadership and lead to uncertainty and quite likely land us deep in the doo doo.

[CVByrne]

CV, your whole point is based around the fact that you think we could/ should get Jol. What if Jol signs an extension at Ajax? What if Randy has spoken to Jol and he's informed him that he's not interested in Aston Villa....?

I mean Jol, Moyes or Hughes. We try get one of them for next year. Accept that the timing was poor for getting a manager good enough, then appoint someone for the season, deny them any money in January and sort out funds for a new manager. Moyes might come if we offered him 25mil to spend next Summer.

All I'm saying is don't settle, we shouldn't settle on a managerial appointment. I'm a firm believer that getting the right manager is more important than any other signing.

[gabbygabbygabbygabbygabby]

can i ask what youths came through his system folks.because im sure Stevies G ect where already there before GH took charge..

Gerrard and Carragher were both about 18/19 when GH took over. Both owe a great deal to GH.

[BOF]

can i ask what youths came through his system folks.because im sure Stevies G ect where already there before GH took charge..

Gerrard made his debut in November '98 under Houllier. Carragher did come in a season earlier but he himself acknowledges that Houllier has been his biggest influence as a player.

[Houlston]

Houllier is the best of a bad bunch,

The bunch being touted by the media, you dont know who Randy did consider/contact/interview, Houllier is Randys choice and may well be the best of a good bunch.

Well good/bad is a matter of opinion. The managers that we didn't have to pay compensation too were the only ones we considered it seems. So he was the best of a bad bunch. The good managers don't stay out of the managers job that long.

Again it seems, it seems because of what the media has said, funny how its only the ones out of work that the media do know of. Do you honestly think that not one manager in work wasnt spoken to or interviewed. Maybe Jol was contacted and Randy wasnt keen or maybe it was the other way around. At the end of the day you dont know. What I do know is that Randy will definately want to make the right decision for this club because whether he supports the club or not like we do its his money he''ll be pissing up the wall.

[CVByrne]

You see I'd prefer we get in an ok manager for this season and get a good one for next rather than get an average one and giving him a long contract just because he's the best of a bad bunch. Houllier is the best of a bad bunch, that's the problem. This will end, and when it does I fear our squad will be in a bad state like when he left Liverpool.

I just don't think it works like that, it's far too simplistic. If you want a manager for a year to wait for another candidate then you leave Kmac as caretaker. You certainly don't get someone the quality of Houllier to come to you and tell him he can only have a year because you're not sure about him. He'd have quite rightly told us to go do one.

If you appoint a permanent manager you have to show confidence in them. If you don't like him, that's up to you, but personally I'd be even more concerned if the club was appointing a manager in a half-hearted way, even if it was someone I really didn't like - Curbs or someone. It would show weak leadership and lead to uncertainty and quite likely land us deep in the doo doo.

Curbs, Sven or Southgate could come in do an ok job for the season, rebuild a bit of their reputation and then go in May. We would save money and have a nice kitty for Jol next summer. He'd come if he was interested in Fulham this summer he'd come here next year.

[jamesbuchanan]

Why Houllier is right for Aston Villa

General Charles Krulak called on all his years as a US Marine commander to defend Gerard Houllier - and this was even before the Frenchman walked through the doors at Villa Park as the club's new boss.

Krulak's colourful intervention on behalf of the man he has already christened "Mr H" was, however, a clear indicator that Houllier's expected announcement as Aston Villa manager has not exactly been a cause for rejoicing among the regulars.

And yet Krulak, who revels in his image as a straight shooter in his dealings with Villa supporters as owner Randy Lerner's right-hand man, hit the nail on the head when he said: "Whatever anyone thinks of him, he deserves respect from the fans of this club."

Houllier does not only deserve respect as a person, he has a record in football that also deserves respect - and this is why Lerner is in the process of making a sound choice by attempting to appoint the former Liverpool manager as successor to Martin O'Neill.

Out of those linked with the job, such as Alan Curbishley, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Ronald Koeman and Villa reserve team coach Kevin MacDonald, Houllier's record of success in England, as well as his experience and vast contacts, make him the outstanding candidate from those Lerner has targeted.

I should declare some past history here. I got to know Houllier very well during his time at Liverpool and respected his occasionally complex but always fiercely driven and totally professional approach and personality.

And, with his appointment expected to be officially confirmed on Thursday, it is worth setting the record straight as history is in danger of delivering a flawed judgement on Houllier's time at Liverpool.

In the desire to paint him as a failure at Anfield, it is worth recalling he rebuilt the entire culture and philosophy of the club after the excess - and in a football context pure waste - of the so-called 'Spice Boys' era. How could a team of such natural talents only have a Coca Cola Cup win against Bolton in 1995 to show for their gifts?

This was acknowledged by then chief executive Rick Parry on the day Houllier left Anfield in May 2004, when he said: "Gerard changed things off the pitch as well as on it, bringing back both our pride and self-respect and instilling discipline and professionalism throughout the club.".

Houllier knew a fresh approach was needed and, after the inevitable break-up of his arranged footballing marriage with Roy Evans, he provided it.

Out went those he regarded as having outlived their usefulness, such as Paul Ince, in came a new, more pragmatic approach - and one that brought serious success back to Liverpool. He was accused of building a functional as opposed to flamboyant team but the ends justified his means.

Houllier's transfer record is often criticised and even he would struggle to make a case to defend the failures of players such as El-Hadji Diouf, Salif Diao and Bruno Cheyrou at Liverpool. Indeed, those three players are often paraded as the symbols of the beginning of the end of the Houllier era at Anfield - perhaps with some justification.

But the critics may care to remember masterstrokes, such as the signing of Sami Hyypia, a snip at £2.5m from Willem II (helped by a glowing reference from a Dutch television cameraman on a visit to Anfield), who went on to become one of the finest players and servants of the modern Liverpool era.

Stephane Henchoz was another inspirational addition to the spine of the team Houllier rebuilt. Then there was Didi Hamman, goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek and Gary McAllister.

If Houllier can recapture some of that magic in the market - and his knowledge of players has always been encyclopaedic - then the worries of the Villa faithful might just disappear.

Jamie Carragher's admiration for Houllier was evident in his presence alongside current boss Roy Hodgson on the Liverpool bench for his testimonial against Everton at Anfield on Saturday. Carragher, regarded by most as a manager of the future, revealed he would hope to model his approach on Houllier, such was his influence over his career.

And Steven Gerrard, the man Houllier appointed as Liverpool captain, also spoke glowingly about him while on England duty in Basle on Monday.

Danny Murphy was another who saw a career on the drift revitalised by Houllier to such an extent that he still flourishes for Fulham today. It is too easy to recall Houllier's failures while conveniently forgetting his successes.

Those players will also remember how Houllier fought back from the brink of death and major heart surgery in 2001 to return to Liverpool and resume his duties. How easy it would have been for him to walk away to a quiet life in France. Instead, he accepted he could not live without the game.

On another significant operational note, he also oversaw the complete overhaul of Liverpool's Melwood training base into the ulta-modern complex it is today - even helping design dressing rooms without pillars so no-one could "hide". Houllier was happy to conduct tours personally for journalists, such was his pride in the new home for his "family", as he referred to the club and his players.

And last but not least, he dealt in a currency Liverpool understands very well - success. Liverpool fans, even those who choose not to regard his reign with affection these days, will never forget 2001 and the treble capture of the Worthington Cup against Birmingham City, the FA Cup against Arsenal and the Uefa Cup against Alaves in Dortmund.

Again, Houllier's detractors pointed at "the Lucky Treble" - and admittedly the victory against Arsenal almost ranked as grand larceny when Michael Owen won an FA Cup final dominated overwhelmingly by Arsene Wenger's team - but you do not have success like that on the back of a hot streak of good fortune.

He added the Worthington Cup again in 2003 with Liverpool's win against Manchester United in Cardiff but there was a growing sense his tenure had lost momentum after six years in charge by the time he made an amicable departure from Anfield at the end of the following season.

Houllier had become overburdened by pressure and criticism in his final season. Too many signings, such as Harry Kewell, did not come off and Liverpool were too far adrift of the title challengers for him to survive.

Kewell's free transfer arrival from Leeds United in the face of competition from Manchester United and Arsenal was greeted with the same elation as Joe Cole's recent signing by Roy Hodgson. Instead, the Australian was a desperate failure at Anfield.

This does not mean Houllier himself should be regarded as a failure. Many of the same players won the Champions League against AC Milan the following year, although no-one can deny Rafael Benitez also brilliantly plotted a course through that campaign.

And there is even a case to be made that he left a better side for Benitez than Benitez subsequently left for Hodgson.

Villa fans might show some understandable concern that these achievements were a lifetime ago in Premier League terms but Houllier has hardly been a man with his finger away from football's pulse.

He won the French title twice at Lyon before stepping down in May 2007 and has since travelled all over the world watching the game in his role with the French Football Federation.

Houllier is in good health and his interest in Villa confirms he retains the desire to succeed in club management even though he has just celebrated his 63rd birthday. His great friends Hodgson and England coach Fabio Capello are 63 and 64 respectively and no-one can question their enduring passion for the game.

He will bring meticulous planning and an almost slavish attention to the details of tactics and preparation to Villa Park should he arrive. After once asking Houllier to help with a rundown of teams for the 2002 World Cup in Japan, I arrived at his Melwood office to find him armed with pages of notes detailing his thoughts on the qualities or otherwise of each side in the tournament. Lack of preparation was not an option.

Villa's players will want for nothing in the pursuit of success, although they must buy into Houllier's team ethic and approach or there will be no future for them.

Houllier must also be in full control of football matters. Sitting in the directors' box watching others exert authority in the dugout will not be for him.

He has had plenty of approaches in recent years. He has been linked with jobs at club and international level and remains a hugely respected figure within football's worldwide community. Houllier always wanted a club that could satisfy his ambitions, which are aimed firmly at success, and he clearly believes Villa is a club that can match those aspirations.

An insight into Houllier's approach to football came when he was advised by some to retire from football after his serious illness, responding: "Football is my life and my oxygen and I don't want to live without it."

Now it looks like his next mission will be to breathe fresh life into Aston Villa.

[NurembergVillan]

I mean Jol, Moyes or Hughes.

What have any of them actually achieved? What have they won as managers? Why would we want them?

Two of them were fired by teams we consider rivals and the other is currently presiding over his teams worst start to a season in the best part of 20 years.

[fran_villa]

can i ask what youths came through his system folks.because im sure Stevies G ect where already there before GH took charge..

Gerrard and Carragher were both about 18/19 when GH took over. Both owe a great deal to GH.

18 19,hang a min.if thats case DOL was great for giving Gabby chance.them players where already ear marked under Roy Evans lads.don't start hyping the man up when other people did the work..was Steve Highway not head of youth back then for Liverpool??..

[Cracker1234]

CV, your whole point is based around the fact that you think we could/ should get Jol. What if Jol signs an extension at Ajax? What if Randy has spoken to Jol and he's informed him that he's not interested in Aston Villa....?

I mean Jol, Moyes or Hughes. We try get one of them for next year. Accept that the timing was poor for getting a manager good enough, then appoint someone for the season, deny them any money in January and sort out funds for a new manager. Moyes might come if we offered him 25mil to spend next Summer.

All I'm saying is don't settle, we shouldn't settle on a managerial appointment. I'm a firm believer that getting the right manager is more important than any other signing.

We get it you don't like Houllier, I hope we"AV fans" and he has a fantastic season then we can forget about all them other managers and keep Houllier here at AV for longer.

[briny_ear]

Many teams have a good cup run, nobody get's lucky over 38 league games that's why we've only ever seen the best win the Premier League, thats why cracking the top 4 is so hard.

But isn't that what Houllier did, quite a few times?

Has Jol done it?

Just as a reminder, Houllier's record with Liverpool was:

1998-99 - 7th

1999-00 - 4th

2000-01 - 3rd

2001-02 - (not counting as he was taken ill in October, but they were 3rd)

2002-03 - 5th

2003-04 - 4th

If we had a manager who had done that for Villa over the period, we would regard him as a success in the league competition, surely?

[Christer]

Absolute mess?

They won the champions league sooner after he left.

Also what are the guarantees any manager will come in and be perfect.

Your talking like Houllier will be shit, we'll sack him and hire Jol and he will be good, thats just what will happen!

Nonsense, for all you know Jol could be a complete disaster if he came.

For the Last time Jez even Liverpool fans know they were beyond lucky to win the champions league, late strike from Gerard to get out of the group, phantom goal and Gudjonssons miss to beat Chelsea and 7 lucky mnutes against Milan.

Benitez signed Alonso and they didn't even come close to beating Everton to 4th. They were rubbish in the Premier League that season, rubbish. So stop bringing up how lucky they were in a cup competition. Cardiff made the FA Cup final, that make them among the best 2 teams in England that year? Of course not.

He was fired from Tottenham 2007