Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: pauliewalnuts on March 01, 2011, 10:52:38 PM
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Some interesting stuff from GH.
He's spot on with the bolded bits, too.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/mar/01/gerard-houllier-fa-cup-aston-villa
Gérard Houllier takes Aston Villa to Manchester City in the FA Cup on Wednesday night admitting that his last visit to Eastlands represented his lowest point since he took up managing 38 years ago. Villa suffered a thumping 4-0 defeat against Roberto Mancini's side in December that left them one point above the relegation zone and prompted Houllier to comment that he had "never had a team that has given up so easily".
Villa have recovered since that chastening result, winning five of their next 11 matches, including a 1-0 victory over City at home in January, to pull clear of the bottom three and reach the FA Cup fifth round. "I knew I could turn things around, because I had the faith of the chairman [Randy Lerner] and the CEO [Paul Faulkner]," the Villa manager said. "It was just that I was too soft in trusting players too long, that is probably what happened."
Asked specifically about the 4-0 defeat at City, Houllier said: "The low point of my career. I never in my life, never, had a team that has given up so quickly. I told you several times, we hit rock bottom there. We sprung up after that. We lost twice: Sunderland, when we were down to 10 men, and Manchester United away, but [Old Trafford] was a good game."
Houllier sees genuine signs that things are coming together. "We have improved physically and mentally. We have improved as a team. The squad lives together better. They realise it is not just 11 players and the rest. We have quality everywhere. We also improved the ball retention. The [4-1] win against Blackburn [on Saturday], the skill – don't get me wrong, we haven't reached it yet, but that sort of game has to be repeated on a consistent basis."
The £18m club-record signing of Darren Bent in January has helped Houllier's cause although it remains to be seen how many similar acquisitions will be made in the years to come. Villa's latest financial results revealed the club made a £37.5m loss last year and that wages had increased to £79.9m, which represents an unhealthy 88% of turnover. "We have to be careful like any other business that we don't slip into a crisis. You can feel it," Houllier said.
Lerner's continued financial commitment should prevent that from happening but there is also likely to be a change in strategy and a greater emphasis on bringing through home-grown talent in the future. "We are lucky because we have a good crop of players coming through behind these," Houllier said. "You have to find a balance between youth and experience. You need experience and talent and the chairman and chief executive know that."
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Good to see he recognises the horror of that result, it's the arrogance and pig-headedness of some bosses that drives you up the wall.
Whatever the result tomorrow night, we will put up a fight. And thats the minmum required.
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I don't really need to be reminded of the slough of despond that that 4-0 defeat cast me into. Simply being back at Eastlands tomorrow will be enough to bring it all back.
Really need a good performance to banish those memories.
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It was a terrible low point. Bloody hell. Though on balance I actually think Sunderland was worse.
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Sunderland certainly let miss inasmuch there was so much optimism and belief going into the game. Man City just had a horrible air of an already relegated team to it.
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All good things.
Less Man Citeh, Liverpool and Sunderland- type results and more performances like Sat and he'll get plenty of people on board.
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Aw bless. GH is starting to feel really at home. I've only ever been used to under achievement from the Villa, with rare exceptions. Now that the inept SHA has its 1st ever trophy, anything less than frenetic ambition from the Villa mercenaries will induce ultimate frustration.
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The Sunderland result was frustrating rather than soul destroying. The facts of the game against Sunderland were that the sending off changed it completely, their goal came from the only shot they had from a guy who before then had never scored, and Heskey missed 2 sitters that I would imagine still haunt him today. It was a poor game yes, but no worse than some of the go awful home games the season before, and one that had Heskey scored in the first half, would have probably ended in a tight and scrappy win.
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It was the lowest point I'd felt with Villa since Doncaster, mind you my other three visits to City have all been woeful, fifth time lucky tonite
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I like what I'm hearing and it's now making me wonder whether his comments about the game being lost once 2-0 down at Liverpool (which boiled my piss at the time) were a reflection on him or if he knew the team had no heart.
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I wish I'd never seen a Villa team that gave up so easily. Sadly, I've lost count of the times I've seen us give up without so much as a whimper. Let's hope Houllier can change all that, starting tonight.
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He is getting the hang of being one of us and its good to hear.
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He is getting the hang of being one of us and its good to hear.
I've always said there's something different about us as a club. How many former players and managers, with no previous connections to the club, go on to become unashamed fans of us (especially on the pundit circuit)? I know many clubs have this, but none to quite the same extent as the Villa.
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He is getting the hang of being one of us and its good to hear.
I've always said there's something different about us as a club. How many former players and managers, with no previous connections to the club, go on to become unashamed fans of us (especially on the pundit circuit)? I know many clubs have this, but none to quite the same extent as the Villa.
The bindippers have cornered the Market in this area
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I like what I'm hearing and it's now making me wonder whether his comments about the game being lost once 2-0 down at Liverpool (which boiled my piss at the time) were a reflection on him or if he knew the team had no heart.
That is very perceptive.
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It was a very low point for me that day. We have responded well and im hoping for at least a draw tonight, Never had a great record against Man City, I still have nightmares about David White
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I like what I'm hearing and it's now making me wonder whether his comments about the game being lost once 2-0 down at Liverpool (which boiled my piss at the time) were a reflection on him or if he knew the team had no heart.
I didn't manage to see any the Citeh game but my first thought was that if it was worse than the Anfield debacle it must have been a real horror show. I knew it was over at Anfield at 2-0 in the first 15 minutes or so, so much so that I turned the TV off, expecting a rout. But I didn't expect the manager to be saying that. I'd agree that, with hindsight, that comment from GH seems a little less like a gallic shrug and more like a signal that he knew he had some players who weren't up for it.
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It was a very low point for me that day. We have responded well and im hoping for at least a draw tonight, Never had a great record against Man City, I still have nightmares about David White
And Peter Reid scored the winner against us at VP when were going for the title in 90.
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I pray we do better with tonight's visit i really hope we stuff them as long as we don't ever see a performance like we did when we lost 4-0 that hurt.
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Im hoping there wont be any need to think about giving up tonight, im hoping we get the lead and keep it. I hope we get a few though, my heart skips many beats every Villa game
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Coming soon...
Aston Villa squad :
Never had a manager give up so easily
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I've never had a manager give up so easily by selecting such a weakened team !
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GH you didn't help yourself tonight!
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Never has a manager given up so easily.
Get rid.
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I want him Gone, after Liverpool this shows just how warped his judgement is, we have 2 weeks off after the Bolton Game.
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Total and utter abject surrender tonight. All the rhetoric about "We can win things" then he does that. What an absolute ******.
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I really warmed to him lately, I liked the way the team was taking shape, but I just don't see why he's done this. I just don't get it.
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Whats he doing FFS!!! i give up on this bloke thats it for me he's mad and must go in the summer if not sooner
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Season over ridiculous, they were for the taking tonight
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Feck off Houllier youv`e lost the fans now- after such a good performance Saturday why give up tonight?
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The twat has sat on his arse all match and couldn't give a fuck. Get him out.
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Even my Mrs with limited football knowledge and who came to the game with me on Saturday said ''whys he done that ''
I just gave her a Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink stare, i'm so angry
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I've never warmed to Houllier. I don't believe in him and I want him out.
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I still think he could be a very good manager for us and I think we will have a much better season 2011-2012. Tonight was a big mistake and its not his first, I just hope it does not have a negative effect on Saturday. He is gettng a good squad together- I just wished he used it a little less of it tonight.
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I still think he could be a very good manager for us and I think we will have a much better season 2011-2012. Tonight was a big mistake and its not his first, I just hope it does not have a negative effect on Saturday. He is gettng a good squad together- I just wished he used it a little less of it tonight.
I'm with you on all that, atomic.
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To be incredibly diplomatic GH has put in a system that, although technically advanced, doesn't have the players to carry it out. His continental approach just doesn't work with the players we have. Our players only know how to play one way.
I genuinely believe he thought we could rotate our squad and give it a good go. He just realised he was sorely wrong, and as as a result has pissed off a lot of fans and may well get an FA sanction.
A massive miscalculation, and on the back of his press interviews makes him look clueless. Anything less that a result at Bolton would be the final nail for him at the end of the season.
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i feel ashamed of been a villa fan todays my lowest day
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surely it cant compare to sunday bvb what a day that was
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i feel ashamed of been a villa fan todays my lowest day
Why don't you just sod off.
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come on holtender even you have got to understand how people feel after what happened on sunday
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You Bluenoses aren't even very good at trolling!
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Ah, it's the semi literate twins.
During difficult times it's always nice of you to provide us with a chance to laugh at the Great Unwashed.
If only every big game you played in resulted in a goalkeeping error in your favour, you might be closer to our 20 trophies won. Rather than two. Or two half decent pots and a few tinpot Skoda shields.
Obefami Martins must be close to being in the top 5 greatest B-lose players of all time now, I assume.
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Ah, it's the semi literate twins.
During difficult times it's always nice of you to provide us with a chance to laugh at the Great Unwashed.
If only every big game you played in resulted in a goalkeeping error in your favour, you might be closer to our 20 trophies won. Rather than two. Or two half decent pots and a few tinpot Skoda shields.
Obefami Martins must be close to being in the top 5 greatest B-lose players of all time now, I assume.
Kevin let them be. Pity them.
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So much hard work and positivity in the past 2 months has been well and truly shattered. I'm still pro Houllier on balance but I would not shed a tear if he went and that reiterates a point made earlier that, like me, I've never turly warmed to him as one of our own.
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Good to see he recognises the horror of that result, it's the arrogance and pig-headedness of some bosses that drives you up the wall.
Whatever the result tomorrow night, we will put up a fight. And thats the minmum required.
I would like to revise my previous opinion. The team put up a fight, but the manager gave up sometime on Wednesday afternoon.