100% Ex Villa: Ginola & Houllier French Farce

[paulcomben]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15726014.stm

Former Tottenham and Newcastle midfielder David Ginola is suing his one-time France coach Gerard Houllier.

[Legion]

Former Tottenham and Newcastle midfielder David Ginola is suing his one-time France coach Gerard Houllier.

Houllier managed the French national team between 1992-93, as well as Liverpool and Aston Villa in England.

He is alleged to have referred to Ginola in offensive terms in a new book, Coaches' Secrets.

"David is absolutely incensed," a spokesman for Ginola told the BBC. "Houllier should stop talking like this. Stop singling David out."

The pair have had an acrimonious relationship for many years, with Houllier often criticising Ginola's role in France's failed bid to qualify for the 1994 Fifa World Cup.

In November 1993, the home side only required a draw in their final World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria to reach the finals and were level at 1-1 going into the final minutes.

But Emil Kostadinov's last-gasp winner in Paris, after substitute Ginola misplaced a cross, sent Les Bleus crashing out of the competition.

In 2000, Ginola, who played 17 times for his country, complained in his autobiography: "Houllier blamed me for 'murdering' France's bid to qualify for the 1994 World Cup finals.

"My 'crime' was to over-hit a cross aimed for Eric Cantona during our last qualifying match against Bulgaria in Paris."

Houllier later resigned and recalled: "The adventure is over all too soon. With only 30 seconds remaining we were there but we got stabbed in the back and at the worst possible time.

"The referee still had his whistle to his mouth when Ginola won that free-kick near the corner flag, but then he goes and sends in a huge 60-metre cross instead of hanging on to the ball. That allowed Bulgaria to go and hit us on the counter."

In contributing to a new book on coaching, Houllier, 64, again refers to the 1993 qualifying failure - and Ginola alleges that disparaging remarks and an offensive term in the publication have left him with little choice but to pursue legal action.

Ginola's representatives told the BBC: "To use those words, and to have them in a book that is meant to sell and to sell heavily, this was a very heavy quote."

Florian Sanchez, editor of the book, which was written by journalists David Riolo and Christoph Paillet and published in France on 20 October, told the BBC: "For legal reasons I cannot comment on the case."

However, Sanchez confirmed that Houllier's comments regarding Ginola do concern the winger's performance against Bulgaria - and also his alleged role in a split in the French squad between players from Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille. Ginola played for PSG at the time.

Sanchez added: "Two years ago, Houllier criticised Ginola on French television. David showed him the yellow card then, and warned him not to continue. Now he is showing him the red."

The first court date, which Ginola is not expected to attend, is scheduled for 12 December in Toulon.

[PeterWithe]

I never quite got why GH had such a bee in in his bonnet about that cross, seems to paint him in a pretty poor light to still be banging on about it twenty years later.

[KevinGage]

No huge amount of sympathy for Houllier on this one.

I remember him carping on about Ginola at the time. It seemed completely irrational then (there was so much the Bulgarians had to do from the time Ginola conceded possession until the goal was scored, and so much his French side could have done to prevent it). 

It's shows him in an even worse light that he's still playing that tune long after the original incident, when he might have been forgiven for a few misplaced words in the heat of the moment.

If he's tried to drum up interest in his book with a few spicy quotes, it would be fitting if most of the profits go to Davide.

[Damo70]

Le Cheveu versus Le Coeur in court then.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

 I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.

[Pete3206]

If your team leaves it until the last minute to qualify for The World Cup finals, then you stand a more than evens chance of going out of the competition. Houllier should look at the other performances in the campaign. A team like France should be out of site when they play the last qualifier. I bet he doesn't say much about losing at home to Israel in a previous group game.

[N'ZMAV]

Pair of knobs.

[Percy McCarthy]

Reminds me of when we were 2-1 up against Stoke and won a corner. Instead of keeping the ball near the corner flag, Milner gave away possession by crossing. Doh!

[QBVILLA]

I don't which one I dislike the most

[Bad English]

I'm with Ginola on this

I never quite got why GH had such a bee in in his bonnet about that cross, seems to paint him in a pretty poor light to still be banging on about it twenty years later.

Do you remember Beckham effigies being hung/burnt/quartered after 1998? Well, after the elimination of the French team, Ginola was villified and his children were abused because he made one bad cross  (from almost in his own box BTW, what about the others who let the Bulgarians stroll up the park and put in the back of the net?).

Houllier was reponsible for all the twats in France forgetting that France fucked it up after requiring ONE point against Israel AND Bulgaria to qualify for USA 94 but they lost both games (both with injury time goals, sound familiar?)

. He chose the team and tactics and cleverly turned the attention on Ginola by  calling his pass a crime against France. Dick!

[PeterWithe]

There are about four players he could blame after Ginola over hit the cross, it was a shit cross though.

[eamonn]

I wonder if any of his ''coach's secrets'' will include the players mutinys at Villa last season.
He looks scarily like MON in the dugout of that France clip btw.

[DB]

Ginola, never know how to defend or play to keep th ball - yes he should have gone to the corner but GH know the player he was when he brought him on, I would say get over it but it goes on Gez's record he didn't get the French to the world cup. As mentioned by others, there are plenty of others you can blame too.

[rob_bridge]

I remember Houllier being quoted at the time. It was show boating by Ginola at an inappropriate time. That said for Houllier to blame him for non qualification is ludicrous. Fact is he couldn't get the best out of a talented and what would have been expensive/highly valued squad. The he turns up at Liverpool after France had won the World Cup under Jacquet and inferred it was in part down to him.
Houllier has got to be one of the most self deluded people in football. And there are many contenders