Houllier: Back him or sack him?

[AshVilla]

think its a case of the board getting behind our manager and supporting him financially

he may be a muppet and the wrong man for the job but they have appointed him and must back him otherwise we are in the shit and relegation is a distinct possibility.

Why?

If anything, the board need to grow some balls and realise the huge mistake they have made. That is the only way this club can go forward, without Houllier at the helm.

His comments before he started should have rang a few alarm bells. Along the lines of 'Villa are not a top 6 club and have been over-achieving'.

Maybe he's trying to take us to a level he feels we should be at? He's doing a **** stunning job if that is the case.

I agree he is a complete muppet and the wrong man for the job in my eyes but the board have appointed him as the man for the job made the decision he is the man to take us forward but without strengthening in january we are in the shit i see some people on here saying houllier needs to put his own mark on the squad and bring in his own players he identified fofana as a player with potential yet the board wouldnt back him

[dudevillaisnice]

From the pissing about with the French FA and keeping us waiting another couple of weeks while he cleared his desk ( we're Aston Villa ffs )

oh we're Aston Villa FFS... we're well above French Law aren't we?

Do you ever read anything but your own opinion? I swear how you still cant grasp why GH was "pissing" around with the French FA is beyond me, it's been talked/explained to death!

Agree its ridiculous really, people calling for moyes etc also need to open their eyes, the names floating around during the summer defiently opened my eyes and it wasn't pretty despite how much we think our club is great.

[UpTheVilla26]

think its a case of the board getting behind our manager and supporting him financially

he may be a muppet and the wrong man for the job but they have appointed him and must back him otherwise we are in the shit and relegation is a distinct possibility.

Why?

If anything, the board need to grow some balls and realise the huge mistake they have made. That is the only way this club can go forward, without Houllier at the helm.

His comments before he started should have rang a few alarm bells. Along the lines of 'Villa are not a top 6 club and have been over-achieving'.

Maybe he's trying to take us to a level he feels we should be at? He's doing a **** stunning job if that is the case.

I agree he is a complete muppet and the wrong man for the job in my eyes but the board have appointed him as the man for the job made the decision he is the man to take us forward but without strengthening in january we are in the shit i see some people on here saying houllier needs to put his own mark on the squad and bring in his own players he identified fofana as a player with potential yet the board wouldnt back him

Does that not make you think that maybe they have realised the error they have made and it's only a matter of time?

Be the best belated Christmas present of all time if that was the case.

[Shillzz]

It makes me hope that they realise theyve got the wrong man and rectify the situation.

But it also makes me fear that they'll realise they've got the wrong man and withdraw any transfer funds.

[Villarevolution2007]

I'm open to giving Houllier a transfer window and if he shows no distinct improvement then 1) He MUST go and 2) Our focus would be to get the hell out of a relegation dogfight. Now Randy, if he believes he is the right man, should and MUST back his manager THIS window. What the crucial thing for me is that Houllier needs to be stopped talking tripe about our own players, if he wants Gabby to lose weight, tell him not the papers. If he thinks we're not top 6 don't publicly say it, don't say it to the players- no benefit would ever come of that, think it, don't say it.

It's basic psychology, basic management, you keep your cards close to your chest, your concerns private. THAT is the reason people think he is wrong for the club cus he is a tactless French prat who can't keep his gob shut. If he does that he can get the supporters back on side, if not then he will lose the fans who are willing to give him a chance.

[UpTheVilla26]

Then Randy and his gang of war heroes need to realize that the blame for any relegation will not solely lie at the door of Houllier. There is no way in hell that with the state the club was in 6 months ago, this should have even got to this point.

Again, just shows that these buisness men know nowt about football. Look at the KFC'ers over at Blackburn, sacking Big Sam. For what? They think they 'know' better when it's clear they know shit all.

[theboyangel]

It's pointless US getting behind the management as it won't make a difference on the pitch - we'll cheer, shout and sing at every match regardless of who is in charge.

The people who really need to get behind the manager are the overpaid players who are the only ones who can change our current fortunes.

Unless that happens, our decline will only worsen and the only losers will be the fans.

[Cracker1234]

This has just been posted by IanRobo Here

Not read it fully yet, but it's like what MM said yesterday so worth the read.

[UpTheVilla26]

If that is true, he should walk.

[markavfc40]

I wish I had others optimism that Houllier can turn this around. Unfortunately I've let reality get in the way.

[dudevillaisnice]

IF that is true, the 6 players should leave aswell.

[Houlston]

if its true then he should be sectioned for his own safety, but i doubt its true, arguing about pool table tops ffs, that is is first class bullshit

[smetrov]

can someone paste it - that site is blocked to me.

[markavfc40]

This has just been posted by IanRobo Here

Not read it fully yet, but it's like what MM said yesterday so worth the read.

Like the bit about the pool tables.

My wife is a mental health nurse. I will see if she can pull a few strings and get Houllier some help.

If that is true which I very much doubt we are deeper in the shit with Houllier than any of us realised.

[Cracker1234]

I was sent this e-mail a couple of days ago and have held back as I believe it is very detailed on what goes on between Houllier and the players. However I think the information contained should come out, I expect some of you to shoot me down for this though.

‘concerned 3′ sent this mail and I have edited a small amount to protect them but not the substance. This could be a very good and believable hoax, but IF true, well it explains all.

AS USUAL PLEASE TREAT WITH EXTREME SCEPTICISM

I am NOT sating any of this is true but the details are far more than what posted on VT a few days ago.

Right first off, we are 3 very concerned Villains who feel the need to speak out about what is going on at Villa. We do not want to be relegated and if things continue this way then we will be. We don’t have ‘sources’ from within the club, we are the sources, something needs to change and NOW!

One of us is at the training ground xxxxxxxx and the other is there xxxxxxxxxx, furthermore I am at the training ground xxxxxxxxx, this is how we know what is going on.

The following account is combined from what these people and myself have seen. It is nothing short of disgraceful what is going on at our club.

The training ground has become and I quote ‘a **** kindergarten,’ the stories about punctuality are true. The only people who turn up on time are Ashley, Big Brad, Collins and a few of the younger lads. There are 4 main culprits of disgraceful behaviour, if you want names then email us but for obvious reasons we can’t say names on this website. They simply do not give a shit about this club and spend most of their timing **** around. We cannot understand how this is allowed to happen. While the rest of the squad are training these 4–6 players are arriving late then will use the gym or swimming pool, very rarely will they involve themselves with training.

We can’t confirm certain ‘pranks’ on the training pitch as we haven’t seen any of it but would not be surprised.

However the behaviour of these players has got steadily worse due to the lack of leadership shown by the Boss. To put in bluntly G.H. does not speak to the players, he hasn’t done since he has arrived. He walks past training ground staff and players like they don’t exist. There is simply no relationship between manager and players. There never has been.

The 3 of us have witnessed the players asking (in the canteen, on two occasions) why has G.H said certain things in the press, which have got quite heated G.H has simply walked out leaving Gary Mac to deal with the argument. Gary Mac has tried to defuse the arguments but the players are clearly getting more and more frustrated with G.H inability to talk to them.

We don’t know if Gary Mac is a decent coach but he has been made to look a right tool in these situations, players shouting and slagging off G.H while he just walks out. We are not sure what Gary Mac is meant to do in the situation and to be honest it looks like he doesn’t either.

However the strangest incident we have witnessed was the day after the Liverpool game where G.H. spent the whole day arguing about the colour of pool tables, as he didn’t like the colour of the current ones (Ironically they were red) with anyone who cared to listen.

None of the staff could understand why he was doing this and not demanding answers or working with the players.

It’s a very strange, pointless story we realise but goes to show how G.H acts around the training ground.

We are worried about any new players who are coming in because they will see just how unprofessional this team/ management are.

Both manager and players are to blame, something needs to change.

If you do not believe us then we beg you to come and watch training, arrive as early as possible (unannounced) and see what is going on, on a daily basis. It’s a joke.

As I have been told not to print this mail then I can only presume they wanted me to but it could be that they are winding me and the rest of you up

[AshVilla]

"However the strangest incident we have witnessed was the day after the Liverpool game where G.H. spent the whole day arguing about the colour of pool tables, as he didn’t like the colour of the current ones (Ironically they were red)"

LOL THE PLOT THICKENS

Our current plight is down to the colour of our pool tables at the training ground they reminded himself of the days at liverpool when he used to have a group of players who wanted to play for him

[HJ]

Letting GMac deal with any upset players rings a bell. It's what Roy Evans had to do for Houllier at Liverpool. link

Despite his image as a taskmaster, Houllier hated confrontation. During their ill-fated partnership, Houllier left the delivery of bad news to Evans. The pair had agreed to jointly inform McAteer that he was being dropped. “I went to tell Jason the news and had to do it by myself because Gérard was nowhere to be seen,” Evans said. “It’s a shitty job at the best of times.” Evans subsequently found Houllier having a cosy chat with some of the club’s hierarchy, and when asked why he wasn’t where he was supposed to be, the Frenchman claimed to have forgotten. For a man who focused on every small detail, it was a strange excuse.

Also, players were not allowed to show their disappointment in front of the new manager. “He didn’t like having to deal with players expressing anger or frustration,” Evans explained. “He thought it showed a lack of respect for management and he had to be the dominant character. My own view is that you want to see players hurt when they’re dropped or when they’re substituted. Any self-respecting professional should be.”

Clearly it’s about getting a balance. A manager needs to be the boss, in total control. And players need to know their place. But there has to be some kind of dialogue, a willingness to hear ideas. And a manager needs to understand that disappointment at being omitted from the team, or at being substituted, is normal. There is of course an unacceptable level of dissent that any player can show towards his manager, but that’s not the same as merely expressing frustration. Good players should be keyed up, wanting to play. Robbie Fowler accused Houllier of buying meek characters who would gladly accept his decisions, but again this is about getting a balance. If players disrespect the manager and undermine his decisions, then that is working against the team. However, you need players with some kind of character and backbone.

Unique Methods

Gérard Houllier was the first Liverpool manager to employ rotation with fitness in mind, although in his case it was limited mainly to the strikers. Before Houllier arrived, team selection was based on form, and fitness, on the day. Now it was about trying to plan for a long season. In particular, Robbie Fowler suffered with the notion of rotation, given that he was dropped — or ‘rested’ — after scoring goals, and tended to sit out more matches than he started. But maybe that was more about him coming to terms with no longer being the first choice striker at the club; any manager will always have in his mind the identities of his preferred players, and Fowler was now third-choice.

Houllier’s main ethos was about the team, and equality. His philosophy on this was sound: “To me, the team is more important than any individual member of the squad, and the players have to realise that and accept that my priority is to pick a side with the best possible chance of winning each match.”

He wanted the players to bond: “I want camaraderie. Players have to get on well, be friends.” But that was clearly not the case — at least in his later years at the club. “I won’t let anybody raise a finger against the togetherness of the team otherwise I chop it immediately,” he said. El Hadji Diouf had another take on it. “The squad was not close-knit. The French were on one side, the English on the other and the Czechs on the other. [it must have been a triangular room he was referring to...] The players had enemies among themselves and Houllier never got the respect of any of them.” French defender Djimi Traoré had a slightly different view on Houllier: “He was much appreciated by the Englishmen and I can see why. But a lot of the French players didn’t have a chance to play and express themselves. We had to work twice as hard to play.” Of course, a number of English players resented Houllier too. Even allowing for the grudges that can build up at a club when disgruntled players are out of the first team, it doesn’t paint the picture of a unified club.

[smetrov]

Probably not precisley true - but the evidence that GH has lost the confidence of the players is being reported all over. SSN the most credible source so far.

I knew a young player who was at the club in the Graham Turner Mcneil days - he describded scanarios simalar to those - as a young player he found it terribly depressing place to be - he left - even though he seen the difference that the incoming graham taylor made within days.

[beasley14]

Maybe we should ship him and the troublemakers out.

[Mantis]

Somebody posted the other day (or it could've been from a newspaper article) about how GH is right manager at the wrong time because of how he's not very good with dealing with a team that aren't close together. Sounds about right to me.