Houllier - Villa united

[Rip Van We Go Again]

sportinglife.com

HOULLIER - I HAVE THE CLUB'S SUPPORT

Gerard Houllier insists he still has the full support of Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner and chief executive Paul Faulkner.

Houllier has come under fire from supporters who called for him to be sacked after the recent 1-0 home defeat by Wolves.

That left Villa just one point above the Barclays Premier League relegation zone.

But Houllier is adamant a close bond remains between himself, Lerner and Faulkner.

Houllier, whose side visit Everton on Saturday, said: "I speak to Randy Lerner on a regular basis and I speak also to Paul Faulkner a minimum of once a day.

"We are very close and very tight together. We know what we are going through.

"It is important to be in a club where there is a strong belief and the trust is there.

"I think their support for me is just as strong. In fact, I am convinced of that."

Houllier believes the club is unified in the battle to stay in the top flight but he has issued a warning to anyone not committed fully to Villa's cause.

He said: "I believe the club is unified. If someone is not with us and not giving more than 100%, he's got to leave because we won't make it.

"But I think we are all right and there is no problem.

"The spirit is good, we know where the land lies, we're not lying to ourselves, we are in a relegation battle, like others and we are aware of that.

"At the same time we have the quality and mentality to deal with that."

Houllier also plays down suggestions he has had a crackdown on club rules with reports claiming players were unhappy about his attitude towards the use of mobile phones.

He said: "Regarding the mobile phones, I only mentioned it on my first day but there was no ban.

"In fact, they are very reasonable because there is no use of them in the changing room and I don't go and check it."

The former Liverpool boss also dismisses the theory that he is in favour of fining players, including relating to their time-keeping.

He said: "I heard about fines but I've never put a fine on a player who's been late.

"If someone comes in from London and they get stuck in a traffic jam, they ring.

"You are not going to give them another bang on their head by fining them. It has happened maybe once or twice.

"I hate fines and I never give fines."

[badluckeric(gates)]

Whats really getting to me is the media sniffing blood like sharks circling. We all know its not great and we are in trouble but to me it seems every time I switch on the radio, be it 5 live or talkshite its all about how crap the moral is the splits in the camp etc.
I really feel that regardless of how anyone feels about the manager certain players etc, that can wait till the summer. We all need to get a siege mentality now and stick it to all of them.

[Greg N'Ash]

the more i hear about Gerrard Houllier's new hardline regime, the more worried i get. Asking players to phone in if they're stuck in a traffic jam!? The guy's worse than Stalin......

[KevinGage]

You can't get past the reasoning that if we had a normal season of injuries instead of the diabolical run of continually losing senior players, sometimes three at a time, then we would not be in the position we are. It is easy to lay blame but this no-one can control. Collins and Dunne were in the main superb last season but both have had long spells of injury, lets hope that we keep injury free for the rest of the season.

Problem with that ROBBO is that we've had enough time and games available -even taking injuries into account- to not be 1 point off the drop zone and just 3 off the bottom going into April.

The injuries -both the major glut in Nov/Dec and some of the more recent ones- should have put the kybosh on thoughts of Europe. They shouldn't mean we face the very real prospect of going down, not with this squad.

[TheSandman]

he has said Dunne and Collins will play if fit, so Carlos must feel great, Cuellar has done nothing to lose his place.

He doesn't seem to rate Carlos at all.

I agree. It is almost bordering on a disgrace if you consider the shocking form, fitness and attitude of Collins and Dunne that they get in ahead of him.

[austin]

we'd never had it so good at least not since BFR and Saunders.

We've never had it so good? League winners, European Cup winners, League cup Winners, Super Cup winners, even in the Prem years our average finishing position was 6th. MONs average finishing position in his last 3 years/ 6th. So, we've never had it so good you say? Hmmmm. You watched Villa for more than a few years?
[/quote]


watched villa all my life. Give me MON over this current idiot anyday.

[eastie]

Lets forget whats gone in the past and get right behind the manager and players for the last 8 games, the recriminations can wait  until the summer - we simply must pull together and get out of this mess first and foremost.

[The Left Side]

Lets forget whats gone in the past and get right behind the manager and players for the last 8 games, the recriminations can wait  until the summer - we simply must pull together and get out of this mess first and foremost.

Well said eastie

[Ian.]

Lets forget whats gone in the past and get right behind the manager and players for the last 8 games, the recriminations can wait  until the summer - we simply must pull together and get out of this mess first and foremost.

Well said eastie

It's going to be very nervy no matter what so the best thing Villa fans can do is do exactly this.

[hawkeye]

i used to have a boss that got us all together, make a speach with the lets all pull together, we know we can do it, we are a great company, just like the rhetoric on here