PopeJosh Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 I don't think that we should now believe that there isn't a problem with the current management setup after one good result. To their credit, it was a good line-up and the players did play their heart out with some passion today: but yet there were MANY things which still leave me totally disenchanted by Le Equipe Houiller 1. Passion on the bench - Houiller and the others on the bench week in, week out are utterly silent whether we'd be performing terribly or quite bad referee situations, the management are truly uninspiring and look to have no fight whatsoever; this doesn't help a football team! Also Lerner celebrated wildly today when we got the 3-3; Houiller just sat there like a couch potato. There is no desire to be there! 2. Lack of initiative - Today is a true example of this; We had SEVEN PLAYERS on yellow cards and we were on the full defensive and having to be cautious about tackles; two subs (and yes, there were good subs that could've been made) with 15-20mins to go in order to get the number of players on cards down would've changed how we were playing the game immensely! 3. Rift with the players - Lets not beat around the bush here - there's an obvious rift with manager and his players. Theres no pitch interaction, players are being dropped without any injury reason and our starting XI and/or subs bench quality really does plummet as a direct result. The players will not and have not responded well and a change is required. 4. Transfer window ambition - It's been said today that Hou is going to sit back until his future is confirmed until even starting with plans to bring in well needed recruits in January. This is wasted time at a crucial stage - we cannot depend on our youth system for almost a half of our squad at times, it makes for an unbalanced squad and quality is needed!!! And for those who will now ask 'Well it's all fair an well saying you want Hou out, but who would come in?' Big Sam Chris Houghton (sp?) Roy Hodgson in a few weeks time amongst rather a lot of other quality managers are currently unemployed, now is the ideal time to get in a quality replacement!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C4rvillan Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 **** Gh! Fancy offering to pay the **** fine!! I think he meant it. And I'll tell you what else. If he does it, that is LEADERSHIP my fellow Villans and the sort of thing that the players will look up to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houlston Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Houllier has said that he would pay the fine the club will get for picking up over six yellows in a match. from his own pocket? yes, although it might have been more tongue in cheek than anything. Tongue on cheek yes but insinuates that he was happy with the players for what they did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houlston Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 I don't think that we should now believe that there isn't a problem with the current management setup after one good result. To their credit, it was a good line-up and the players did play their heart out with some passion today: but yet there were MANY things which still leave me totally disenchanted by Le Equipe Houiller 1. Passion on the bench - Houiller and the others on the bench week in, week out are utterly silent whether we'd be performing terribly or quite bad referee situations, the management are truly uninspiring and look to have no fight whatsoever; this doesn't help a football team! Also Lerner celebrated wildly today when we got the 3-3; Houiller just sat there like a couch potato. There is no desire to be there! 2. Lack of initiative - Today is a true example of this; We had SEVEN PLAYERS on yellow cards and we were on the full defensive and having to be cautious about tackles; two subs (and yes, there were good subs that could've been made) with 15-20mins to go in order to get the number of players on cards down would've changed how we were playing the game immensely! 3. Rift with the players - Lets not beat around the bush here - there's an obvious rift with manager and his players. Theres no pitch interaction, players are being dropped without any injury reason and our starting XI and/or subs bench quality really does plummet as a direct result. The players will not and have not responded well and a change is required. 4. Transfer window ambition - It's been said today that Hou is going to sit back until his future is confirmed until even starting with plans to bring in well needed recruits in January. This is wasted time at a crucial stage - we cannot depend on our youth system for almost a half of our squad at times, it makes for an unbalanced squad and quality is needed!!! And for those who will now ask 'Well it's all fair an well saying you want Hou out, but who would come in?' Big Sam Chris Houghton (sp?) Roy Hodgson in a few weeks time amongst rather a lot of other quality managers are currently unemployed, now is the ideal time to get in a quality replacement!! You know when you feel resistance youre meant to stop pushing the ear bud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASTY_LEE Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Let's all slag off Warnock, I mean Dunne was a goner according to you lot and he's sorted himself out. I've heard Warnock has been playing with a back injury for majority of the season so don't write him off just yet. Too many idiotic fans on here just waiting for a chance to knock their own club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Fairly downbeat stuff in the Observer today Fans' fractured faith could prove Gérard Houllier's downfall at Villa Frenchman has pressing problems on and off the pitch after burning his bridges with Aston Villa supporters o Stuart James o The Observer, Sunday 2 January 2011 At Gérard Houllier's opening press conference at Aston Villa he dismissed any suggestion there would be a problem when asked whether he would find it difficult to manage Premier League players after a six-year absence. Three months later, amid stories of growing player unrest, Houllier was reminded of the answer he gave to that question and asked if he would still give the same response. "I don't want to answer that question," he said. It was a reply that said everything one needed to know about the problems Houllier has experienced since returning to English football in September. Villa's options were severely restricted when Martin O'Neill announced his departure on the eve of the season but their decision to turn to the former Liverpool manager, which was met with a mixed response from Villa supporters, is beginning to look like a big mistake. What can be said with certainty is that Houllier underestimated the size of the job he took on. He had flatly rejected the notion that this season should be written off as one of transition when he took over but after the 4-0 drubbing at Manchester City last Tuesday he accepted Villa are in a relegation battle. Villa are in freefall, have lost five of their last six league games and this afternoon face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, where they lost 7-1 last season. Never mind debating whether Houllier should have been given the job; the big question now is whether he should hold on to it. Houllier fans – and they are becoming a rare species – claim it is unfair to judge the Frenchman when he has been unable to bring in his own players. Yet the flipside to that argument is that, with the exception of Stephen Ireland's arrival and James Milner's departure, Houllier is working with the same squad who finished sixth in May. So where has it all gone wrong? In Houllier's defence he has been unfortunate with injuries and there is no evidence to suggest a harsher training regime has contributed to the number of players in the treatment room. He has also seen a couple of key players struggle for form. Gabriel Agbonlahor is still looking for his first league goal of the season while Richard Dunne was a liability in central defence before he fell out with Houllier. Yet it also has to be said that Houllier has contributed to his own downfall. He admitted it was a mistake publicly to castigate Ireland who, rightly or wrongly, has always been a player who benefits from an arm around the shoulder rather than a kick up the backside. Ireland has been marginalised along with John Carew and Dunne. The trio earn in excess of £150,000 a week between them but have not played a minute of football since 6 December. On Friday Houllier said all three could be reintegrated into his plans, which is perhaps not surprising given Villa's predicament, although it might be easier said than done. Ireland has suggested he would like to leave, Carew has so little respect for Houllier that he ranked him bottom in a list of the seven managers he has played under and Dunne made his thoughts clear during a spat on the training ground witnessed by his Villa team-mates. Things would not be so bad if Houllier had a decent relationship with the Villa fans but he has burned rather than built bridges. He told a French newspaper on the day he arrived that Villa "belonged between seventh and 12th place in the Premier League" and his comments since have been peppered with references to Liverpool. And that was before his bizarre behaviour at Anfield last month, for which he was forced to apologise four days later. The Villa board are standing firmly behind Houllier but there is a sense the supporters are running out of patience. Assuming Villa fail to pick up anything at Chelsea today, which seems likely given their appalling away record (played nine, won 1, drawn 1, lost seven, scored 5, against 22), the home game against Sunderland on Wednesday night will become pivotal. Another defeat then and the Holte End could turn. just a couple of points : 1. If Martin O'Neill had any respect for what he built at villa in his 4 years he would not have walked out in the manner he did. 2. Whilst 2 wrongs don't make a right ...it was ok for Carew to declare his opinion of his managers ability... but not ok for the manager to do the same. 3. you say he possibly underestimated the size of the job he was undertaking, you could be right..... but how many of us do that in starting a new job.... you only find the "warts and all" when you are in it. 4. The six year absence is anything you want it to be it was a comment levelled at O'Neill saying he had been out of English football for too long managing in a mickey mouse league in scotland( not my comments by the way) The guy has been employed for his all round ability in the same manner as Martin O'Neill was he deserves the opportunity to manage once the fires have been put out...I agree with some, he has tried to make radical changes too soon before he has gained everyones confidence... that could be a mistake, only time will tell. One thing is for sure, we should all get behind him as he is representing the club as our manager.... if folk can't do that then discretion is probably the better part of valour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFC-Prideofbrum Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 I don't think that we should now believe that there isn't a problem with the current management setup after one good result. To their credit, it was a good line-up and the players did play their heart out with some passion today: but yet there were MANY things which still leave me totally disenchanted by Le Equipe Houiller 1. Passion on the bench - Houiller and the others on the bench week in, week out are utterly silent whether we'd be performing terribly or quite bad referee situations, the management are truly uninspiring and look to have no fight whatsoever; this doesn't help a football team! Also Lerner celebrated wildly today when we got the 3-3; Houiller just sat there like a couch potato. There is no desire to be there! 2. Lack of initiative - Today is a true example of this; We had SEVEN PLAYERS on yellow cards and we were on the full defensive and having to be cautious about tackles; two subs (and yes, there were good subs that could've been made) with 15-20mins to go in order to get the number of players on cards down would've changed how we were playing the game immensely! 3. Rift with the players - Lets not beat around the bush here - there's an obvious rift with manager and his players. Theres no pitch interaction, players are being dropped without any injury reason and our starting XI and/or subs bench quality really does plummet as a direct result. The players will not and have not responded well and a change is required. 4. Transfer window ambition - It's been said today that Hou is going to sit back until his future is confirmed until even starting with plans to bring in well needed recruits in January. This is wasted time at a crucial stage - we cannot depend on our youth system for almost a half of our squad at times, it makes for an unbalanced squad and quality is needed!!! !! 1. Obviously didn't see his celebrations when Heskey scored then? and him moaning at a foul late on for Chelsea. :? 2. To be honest, I disagree, had Delph been on the bench. Yes, but our bench was weak, look at the third goal, Albrighton giving it away(then thankfully making up for it!), that's inexperience. I felt it was important to keep the experienced players on. We didn't have many options. Every manager gets slaughtered for subs to be honest. 3. Didn't seem much of a problem with the players today, we will see if it continues, but clearly they have listened this week and took everything on board in order to perform to that level and clear tactical plan. 4. That is one newspaper report. It doesn't mean it's true. :? in fact, I haven't even seen it posted on this forum yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C4rvillan Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Can I just ask? Was that the first time we have equalised this season? All the other games we have either scored first then drawn/lost or scored when we were too far behind. If that is the case then today was like waiting for a bus eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexicon Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Now is most definitely the time to get behind the team, the manager and the club 100%. If we beat Sunderland we can start up a bit of momentum - use that to kick on for the rest of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steaknchips Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 The support for Houllier and the team was fantastic today... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dukes Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 We showed pride, passion and fight today so fair play. Let's hope it continues. I'll give houllier a lot of credit for today, I'm assuming those blaming the players and MON for poor results will be giving them some credit? Cuellar at RB, players showing pride. Sunderland is a massive game. You're right, they all deserve credit, but at the end of the day these are meant to be Professional players, even if they cannot be the best in their position, they should never need to be motivated or pressured into making an effort ! either way, today the whole team put in 100% effort, and at the ned i think we got the draw we deserved. Well done everyone, now let's build on that ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blunther Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Can I just ask? Was that the first time we have equalised this season? All the other games we have either scored first then drawn/lost or scored when we were too far behind. If that is the case then today was like waiting for a bus eh? I belive it was, yep. Shocking stat, really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Lerwill Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 The support for Houllier and the team was fantastic today... I'm very relieved to hear it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delphouneso Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Houllier got the tactics and starting line-up spot on today. Gabby on the left was a master-stroke, pulled Ferreira out of position and provided plenty of space for Young/Heskey. Downing on the right kept Ashley Cole quiet all game. My only criticism being we got outnumbered in midfield a few times, and again sat too deep after we took the lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Lerwill Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Houllier got the tactics and starting line-up spot on today. Gabby on the left was a master-stroke, pulled Ferreira out of position and provided plenty of space for Young/Heskey. Downing on the right kept Ashley Cole quiet all game. My only criticism being we got outnumbered in midfield a few times, and again sat too deep after we took the lead. Yes, clearly there are still things to be put right, but getting the team out playing with the right spirit is the first hurdle cracked. Conceding these late goals is a big worry, but at least the Villa spirit came through in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sellyoakvilla Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 I think this photo says it all to be honest, no team spirit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethRDR Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 I think this photo says it all to be honest, no team spirit? Both ghey and fantastic at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFC-Prideofbrum Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 I think this photo says it all to be honest, no team spirit? What a pile on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Villarocker Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Houllier got one thing wrong for me today and that was leaving Gabby on for too long after he signalled he wanted to come off. You could see him hobbling outside of the area when they equalised. Maybe a replacement would have made a difference, maybe not. Just think a sub should have been made sooner. The above is the only downside for me with regards to Houllier today. he got everything else spot on. Playing Cuellar at right back instead of Lichaj is something I have called for in recent weeks. It gave us more solidity and the fact that Cole was ineffective was testimony to the way Carlos played, albeit with the help of a disciplined display from Downing. Malouda moved over to the right also and gave Clark the runaround a few times but otherwise Clark was quality today. Scoring one and helped win the penalty with a blokced clearance. We just looked more solid all round. The only other thing i would have liked to see is Downing and Gabby swap sides from time to time. I recall the 2-1 victory over them at Villa Park last season where Gabby went wide right and totally nullified the threat of Ashley Cole. I reckon he would has scared the shit out of them today if he played out there. Simply because of the amount of space he would have had to work in. Well done Gerrard. Your team selection was great today. Well done for being man enough to allow Dunne back into the team. That is the type of performance he can give when fit and hopefully bygones are bygones and he can stay and get back to the way he played for us last season! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C4rvillan Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Well done Gerrard. Your team selection was great today. Well done for being man enough to allow Dunne back into the team. That is the type of performance he can give when fit and hopefully bygones are bygones and he can stay and get back to the way he played for us last season! This for me. I thought Dunne had been poor this season (Obviously to lack of fitness). They had a row, GH froze him out (rightly or wrongly) and was man enough to build the bridges and get it sorted. Dunne had his best geame for a long while. It also shows Dunne's character too to comeback like that after being poor for so long. Hopefully it is all water under the bridge and we can move forward together. Depsite Chelsea's slump, they are still a quality team and to have given them a game at their place and being disappointed with a draw tells its own story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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