Houllier: Back him or sack him?

[TrentVilla]

How about the players start caring?

I think they showed they did at Chelsea I'm yet to see anything from Houllier to suggest he does.

[gilbertoAVFC]

Well thats it then, Villa have confirmed his job is safe.

Well you better give him, at the very lesat £30m quid, and we WILL have to pay higher wages than we are now, as that is th eonly reason players will now come to us.

I've said since the Blues 0-0 - this is 1986 being relived. That has just confirmed it - we WILL get relegated.

For me, that will be it with the Villa - I'll see out this season, but I've done my time, if the board don't give a shit about this club, I won't until we have one that does.

Lost complete and total faith in Lerner and Co - maybe, after slagging off our old manager for putting players on high wagers, they have took the decision it will take too much to pay off a guy with 3 yrs on his contract.

Wonderful support shown there.

I think they'll be plenty of excuses coming out from people who don't renew if we got relegated - here is an early prototype.

[avfcgoodie]

customercomplaints@avfc.co.uk.

Im gonna pop them an email......

[smetrov]

Its obvious cut the costs - clear the debts - even if that means championship football. Even if he gets the push mid feb - I feel an internal appointment would be made. There are better managers than Houllier on the dole at the moment - so cost & cost cutting is the only reason he is still in a job.

[Cjamesk]

Time for Houllier and the players to man up now. They need to turn things around and fast. It can be done, so I suppose we have to now wait and see if they have the balls to do it.

Agreed,

But what scares me is that on paper we should scrape away from the drop in our current position but some of the players don`t look like they could fight their way out of a paper bag at the moment.

BUT if we survive and GH holds on I`m sure all the chaos that`s going on now will only make our youngsters stronger in the long run as I can`t think of a more "under pressure" season as we`re getting at the minute.

Everything seems to be working against the Villa moment it`s like lady luck and karma have taken a huge dump on VP since August.

[smetrov]

Time for Houllier and the players to man up now. They need to turn things around and fast. It can be done, so I suppose we have to now wait and see if they have the balls to do it.

Agreed,

But what scares me is that on paper we should scrape away from the drop in our current position but some of the players don`t look like they could fight their way out of a paper bag at the moment.

BUT if we survive and GH holds on I`m sure all the chaos that`s going on now will only make our youngsters stronger in the long run as I can`t think of a more "under pressure" season as we`re getting at the minute.

Everything seems to be working against the Villa moment it`s like lady luck and karma have taken a huge dump on VP since August.

Nothing to do with luck. We appointed a manager who can't win matches....end of.

[briny_ear]

With 17 matches still to run (= potential 51 points), there is plenty of time still to run.

However, we all know that team confidence is a big thing, and with whatever was achieved at Chelsea being eradicated by last night's play, everyone is nervous.

Backing the manager is the only route though. Nearly all of what has transpired can hardly be put at GH's door ... though there are a lot who would like to do that.

That last comment puzzles me a bit.

Take last night's defeat as an example.

Why can that not be "put at Houllier's door" and who should be blamed instead, and on what grounds?

[Gingerlad]

With 17 matches still to run (= potential 51 points), there is plenty of time still to run.

However, we all know that team confidence is a big thing, and with whatever was achieved at Chelsea being eradicated by last night's play, everyone is nervous.

Backing the manager is the only route though. Nearly all of what has transpired can hardly be put at GH's door ... though there are a lot who would like to do that.

That last comment puzzles me a bit.

Take last night's defeat as an example.

Why can that not be "put at Houllier's door" and who should be blamed instead, and on what grounds?

Heskey, 2 yard sitter. Childish reaction to get red card.

Quite simple.

[billy_loes]

How about the players start caring?

I think they showed they did at Chelsea I'm yet to see anything from Houllier to suggest he does.

what happened last night then Trent? Do they only care on Sundays?

If Houlliers staying then as someone said its time to back him to the hilt.

5 players!!

Edit - what day is it?

[John_Lerwill]

With 17 matches still to run (= potential 51 points), there is plenty of time still to run.

However, we all know that team confidence is a big thing, and with whatever was achieved at Chelsea being eradicated by last night's play, everyone is nervous.

Backing the manager is the only route though. Nearly all of what has transpired can hardly be put at GH's door ... though there are a lot who would like to do that.

That last comment puzzles me a bit.

Take last night's defeat as an example.

Why can that not be "put at Houllier's door" and who should be blamed instead, and on what grounds?

The manager has little control once players go out onto the pitch ... if Heskey chooses to be silly, that's hardly the manager's fault.

I did not say that GH has not made *any* mistakes ... but coming in when he did and amassing the injury list he did can hardly cause the lumping of all blame on him.

[briny_ear]

With 17 matches still to run (= potential 51 points), there is plenty of time still to run.

However, we all know that team confidence is a big thing, and with whatever was achieved at Chelsea being eradicated by last night's play, everyone is nervous.

Backing the manager is the only route though. Nearly all of what has transpired can hardly be put at GH's door ... though there are a lot who would like to do that.

That last comment puzzles me a bit.

Take last night's defeat as an example.

Why can that not be "put at Houllier's door" and who should be blamed instead, and on what grounds?

Heskey, 2 yard sitter. Childish reaction to get red card.

Quite simple.

Unless Houllier's tactics were to rely on just one player performing well and having one chance in the whole game, that account doesn't quite capture the reasons for the defeat.

[wilsonrx]

January isn't the best time to buy players. Although as somebody said earlier, if you pay enough you can get anyone.

[Woodytom]

How about the players start caring?

I think they showed they did at Chelsea I'm yet to see anything from Houllier to suggest he does.

what happened last night then Trent? Do they only care on Saturdays?

If Houlliers staying then as someone said its time to back him to the hilt.

5 players!!

Sundays billy Sundays!!!!!

[paulanddonya]

Call it support you say ? , I'd say I've just woke up to the fact I'm being taken for a sodding mug.

Listen to yourselves, all this "It's MON's fault, it's the players fault"

NO IT ISN'T , IT IS THE MANAGERS AND THE BOARDS FAULT.

I fecking hated O'Neill as a man, but I can tell you this, I can catagorically state Martin O'Neill wasn't at Villa Park last night, and he wasn't the one who was telling the players to play a ore "continental style of football"

Which begs the question, what is this style - is it, by any chance, the style of putting you 5'4" central midfielder and 5'7" winger in central defence so they can welly the ball up field onto the heads of our 6'3" centre backs, that, because we've screwed it totally up, are now playing as forwards !

The manger and the owners are taking us to the fecking cleaners.

Now i saw this happening in 1986, and as a niave 15yr old, I backed them, I sang my heart out at Bradford and Huddersfield.

But do you know what, at the age of 40 - I ain't prepared to do it again mate, as they said in Fever Pitch, "I now realise my life, and the successes and failures are a direct result of Aston Villa Football Club. I still go there yeah, but it's no longer my life".

And sorry, slowly but surely, and it started with the famour Mr Krulak rant about people being bigger than the club, I have realised this new board care about one thing and one thing only - MONEY !, and after spending 25 yrs of my life hating Ellis for it - I ain't gonna put myself through it all over again !

[Willy_Evergo]

How about the players start caring?

I think they showed they did at Chelsea I'm yet to see anything from Houllier to suggest he does.

what happened last night then Trent? Do they only care on Saturdays?

If Houlliers staying then as someone said its time to back him to the hilt.

5 players!!

We're rudderless at the moment. Last night, Sunderland were upset by a serious injury to one of their players but were galvanised at half time and came out looking like a different team.

We on the other hand never looked up for the fight in the second half and were second best long before Heskey got sent off.

All of this is down to management.

[Amsterdam_Neil_D]

randy is no better than ellis hes just got a great pr machine behind him, like most yanks

for me, weve not signed anyone that we wouldnt have done under ellis, infact in ellis' time weve made more high-profile signings that we ever have under lerner, the players weve signed under lerners stewardship arent any different than we would have got under ellis, theyve just cost shitloads more dosh cos hes a billionaire.....

oh, at least weve got some stainglassed windows, the odd free scarf and a swimming pool at bodymoor......... great !

It's all about opinions remember on VT and any opinion should be given some grace IMO. Would I give up the windows and scarf for 2 goals last night, well yes I would.

[billy_loes]

How about the players start caring?

I think they showed they did at Chelsea I'm yet to see anything from Houllier to suggest he does.

what happened last night then Trent? Do they only care on Saturdays?

If Houlliers staying then as someone said its time to back him to the hilt.

5 players!!

We're rudderless at the moment. Last night, Sunderland were upset by a serious injury to one of their players but were galvanised at half time and came out looking like a different team.

We on the other hand never looked up for the fight in the second half and were second best long before Heskey got sent off.

All of this is down to management.

yes mate I know I was there. Did you like the 'Marx Brothers' formation for the last 10mins?

[briny_ear]

With 17 matches still to run (= potential 51 points), there is plenty of time still to run.

However, we all know that team confidence is a big thing, and with whatever was achieved at Chelsea being eradicated by last night's play, everyone is nervous.

Backing the manager is the only route though. Nearly all of what has transpired can hardly be put at GH's door ... though there are a lot who would like to do that.

That last comment puzzles me a bit.

Take last night's defeat as an example.

Why can that not be "put at Houllier's door" and who should be blamed instead, and on what grounds?

The manager has little control once players go out onto the pitch ... if Heskey chooses to be silly, that's hardly the manager's fault.

I did not say that GH has not made *any* mistakes ... but coming in when he did and amassing the injury list he did can hardly cause the lumping of all blame on him.

OK, let's wipe the slate clean, blame earlier results on someone else, and start judging Houllier now on how he performs with more or less a full squad. Last night's tactics were very poor. He played Ash and Gabby in roles that they didn't seem to understand, and that certainly didn't play to their strengths. Hence so few shots on goal, so Heskey's miss was so crucial. Will you concede Houllier takes responsibilty for this, or is he just exempt from any criticism, period?

[Super-Villan]

The manager has little control once players go out onto the pitch ... if Heskey chooses to be silly, that's hardly the manager's fault.

You could make excuses like that for every single match though. The players are on the pitch and they are the ones that do good or bad things. But if it were completely true then there would be no point in having managers at all, would there? Seeing as it's all up to the players.

For the odd game, yes players make mistakes. Taken over a longer period, such as Houllier's tenure so far, then he has to take ultimate responsibility.

[Cjamesk]