Houllier slams 'stupid' Carew!

[Phil from the upper holte]

I may have missed it but has anyone seen this interview that carew has the hump over?

[Bad English]

I think we should all get a sense of perspective. We must all remember that Gérard Houllier has vast experience when it comes to hanging on for a result. It's not as if he's got previous when it comes to losing in the 94th minute, is it?

Wasn't that scored in the regulation 90?

94 minutes and 58 seconds. That's why it was fucking awesome. I was watching live.

Houllier (on Canal + France) was still calling Ginola a 'twat' for his crossfield ball this summer, seventeen years later (Ginola went ape and said he wanted to press charges for libel or whatever). So it must be fresh in his mind...

I was just going on the clock in the corner that was ticking up to 45.00. According to that it was scored 44:58.

Oh FUCK! I got my counting skills mixed up again. I was going by the clock on that thingy too. However, my numeracy is as reliable as Carew's back and I can't count, add up or do anything that involves decimals. Well, let's call it last minute goal experience, eh?

[Dave Cooper please]

Birch? A Villa legend? An average player who ran around a lot and tried really hard. And you have him up there with McGrath, Little and Gray. Crikey.

To be a legend you don't necessarily have to be the best player.

come on now Dave. The term "legend" gets thrown around far too easily, and needs to be reserved for our true greats. I loved Paul Birch for his effort and enthusiasm but he isn't one of our true greats by any stretch.

And again I say, a legend does not have to be a great player.
It's all about perception.

In legend stakes I would put Eamon Deacey above John Carew.

[Villa'Zawg]

...

And again I say, a legend does not have to be a great player.
It's all about perception.

In legend stakes I would put Eamon Deacey above John Carew.

I don't neessarily disagree but are players like McInally, Saunders, Deehan, Atkinson, Saunders, Dublin legends? All with similar goalsoring records. Would Carew be entitled to legendary status if we had won the League cup last season

[WA Villan]

Carew is no legend, just another journey man making good money and about to arrange his exit from Villa by kicking up a storm. Obviously his seen the writing on the wall.

[Mr Diggles]

What a twat Carew is. He's done nothing on the pitch since 20 mins against Reading last year, and is obviously far more bothered about fans singing his name than playing or scoring. He can feck off. Houllier has done nothing wrong, but for Carew to claim Houllier has more to prove to the fans than he does is ridiculous and shows how obsessed he is with his own cult hero status (which for me is an absurd belief held by some Villa fans) and how disrespectful he is about the new regime.

If I ever see him in a Villa shirt again I will be very disappointed. He's the past, not the club's present or future.

I reckon the people who support him at the games aren't as enlightened as we internet users and that they base their opinion solely on the fact he is one of the most prolific goalscorers they have ever seen in a Villa shirt. Dopes.

OK, nowhere did I question his goalscoring record, I merely pointed out that he has been inexcusably shit when he has played (which has not been often) over the course of the last 18 or so months, aside from 20 mins in the second half against Reading. It pisses me off so much that whilst playing, actually on the pitch, he will turn to the Holte to applaud them for singing a song - he should be concentrating on the fucking match. You don't see anyone else do that mid-game. I think the hero worship of him is seriously misplaced - he's done nothing on the pitch for a while, looks disinterested, if reports are true can't even be bothered to turn up for certain cup games mid-week, and generally shows an overinflated opinion of himself which for me clearly translates into a lack of effort.

Considering his physique and ability I think he shows a criminal lack of effort to produce the best he can as often as he can, especially considering his likely wage. Look instead at the hunger showed by Bannan, Albrighton, Clark, even Delfouneso at the weekend.

He's a waste of space. The song is a delusional effort based on past glories and wasted on an egomaniac. Get rid, as quickly as possible. But if you want to carry on signing an embarrasing song, its up to yuou.

[alanclare]

Headline in today's Times: Carew May Have Burnt His Bridges With Villa.

Gérard Houllier called it paranoia, Mark Hughes called it emotion and some may label it as childish. But the row that has erupted between the Aston Villa manager and John Carew, his striker, is sufficiently vitriolic possibly to spell the end of the Norwegian's career in the Midlands.

"I like John but if the fans chant his name and the end product is nothing then fans will chant, 'Houllier go home,'" Houllier said.
   

[myf]

See you John.  You were decent but way too lazy.

[Merv]

Shame if it ends like this with Carew - he's generally done pretty well for us, though a few too many niggly injuries. I think come the summer we'll see him and several other senior players moved on; Houllier seems to have identified the need to shake things up a bit.

[Villa'Zawg]

What a twat Carew is. He's done nothing on the pitch since 20 mins against Reading last year, and is obviously far more bothered about fans singing his name than playing or scoring. He can feck off. Houllier has done nothing wrong, but for Carew to claim Houllier has more to prove to the fans than he does is ridiculous and shows how obsessed he is with his own cult hero status (which for me is an absurd belief held by some Villa fans) and how disrespectful he is about the new regime.

If I ever see him in a Villa shirt again I will be very disappointed. He's the past, not the club's present or future.

I reckon the people who support him at the games aren't as enlightened as we internet users and that they base their opinion solely on the fact he is one of the most prolific goalscorers they have ever seen in a Villa shirt. Dopes.

OK, nowhere did I question his goalscoring record, I merely pointed out that he has been inexcusably shit when he has played (which has not been often) over the course of the last 18 or so months, aside from 20 mins in the second half against Reading. It pisses me off so much that whilst playing, actually on the pitch, he will turn to the Holte to applaud them for singing a song - he should be concentrating on the fucking match. You don't see anyone else do that mid-game. I think the hero worship of him is seriously misplaced - he's done nothing on the pitch for a while, looks disinterested, if reports are true can't even be bothered to turn up for certain cup games mid-week, and generally shows an overinflated opinion of himself which for me clearly translates into a lack of effort.

Considering his physique and ability I think he shows a criminal lack of effort to produce the best he can as often as he can, especially considering his likely wage. Look instead at the hunger showed by Bannan, Albrighton, Clark, even Delfouneso at the weekend.

He's a waste of space. The song is a delusional effort based on past glories and wasted on an egomaniac. Get rid, as quickly as possible. But if you want to carry on signing an embarrasing song, its up to yuou.

and yet managed to score 20 goals in that time.

The people who sing the John Carew song at Villa Park (we're too busy muttering under our breath in my section of the ground) are singing it because they turn up to watch us score goals and John Carew does that more than  just about any other player they have  ever seen in a Villa shirt. To label them absurd, delusional and embarrassing is a bit arse about face if you ask me.

[PeterWithe]

Headline in today's Times: Carew May Have Burnt His Bridges With Villa.

Gérard Houllier called it paranoia, Mark Hughes called it emotion and some may label it as childish. But the row that has erupted between the Aston Villa manager and John Carew, his striker, is sufficiently vitriolic possibly to spell the end of the Norwegian's career in the Midlands.

"I like John but if the fans chant his name and the end product is nothing then fans will chant, 'Houllier go home,'" Houllier said.
   

I've just seen this, were these comments part of the same interview or has Houlllier been drawn into making further unseemly comments again? If so I wish he would turn it in.

[Concrete John]

I think it's now getting to the point where Carew being still at the club will be counter productive - he won't play and we'll keep seeing these stories.

We'd be better off shipping him out in Jan for a nominal fee or on loan. 

[Rip Van We Go Again]

The Times say Carew stated that 'Houllier was under prepared for the role when he joined Villa'
Is that true?

[Mr Diggles]

VD - for me its the impression I leave matches with of him. I can only remember a small handful of times where I came away from a game thinking Carew had been outstanding, even good. Yes he may well score goals (over a third of those you refer to were penalties, which could have been scored or taken by anyone else) but how often was he the matchwinner? Three or four times over the last year maybe? Also the new footballing mentality the management are trying to instil in the team leaves no room for egos like his. MON may have indulged or ignored it, but I'm delighted that Houllier is apparently refusing to do so.

Also, a little pedantically, I wasn't refering to the fans as absurd or embarasing, merely the song and hero worship, which, given as my opinion, is not insulting anyone I believe.

[PeterWithesShin]

He's got more yellow cards playing for Norway than he has goals for us this season. He's scored in 3 Villa league wins in the past 12 months. 4 if you go back to the beginning of last season (Portsmouth, Stoke, Bolton & Hull).

Might be an idea Mr Carew, that you do a bit more talking on the pitch when we aren't playing lower league cup sides rather than complaining to the press.