Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: PaulTheVillan on December 07, 2010, 06:03:37 PM
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Link (http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2238878,00.html)
To the fans who travelled to Liverpool and to all Villa supporters, let me assure you that we are working as hard as we possibly can to achieve the level of success which this great club aspires to. Everybody is hurting because of recent results and I am at Bodymoor Heath today with my staff, working on putting this right.
No one likes to lose 3-0 against any team and, if comments I made in the immediate aftermath of our defeat by Liverpool have been misconstrued - comments which were intended to be humorous, by the way - let me put them into context. The experiences I enjoyed with Liverpool some years ago will always stay with me, as will many experiences I have had in football both before and since, and I have taken all these experiences into my job as manager of Aston Villa. I understand the fans' feelings of hurt and disappointment at the moment - I am hurting as much as anybody, believe me - and I say emphatically that we will battle through. Building lasting success at Aston Villa is my focus and my commitment to this challenge is resolute.
It is down to us collectively as a club to work hard to bring joy and success to the fans because the fans are the most important. They are passionate, vocal and fantastic, which I stated when I first came here. They know we are in this together and their support will be vital on Saturday for our game against West Bromwich Albion.
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Looks like someone has had a word...
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Thank you Gerard, now let's move on and give him a chance to build his own team.
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What he classes as humorous is somewhat strange, none the less, we should perhaps put it behind us.
We need to get behind the team 100% for Saturday.
3 points is a must.
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He didn't have to and he did....hopefully people can drop it now.
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Not bad but actions speak louder than words, the same goes for the players who when interview always grind out the same cliches about working harder, pulling socks up, etc. Do it on the park!!
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Fair enough - a few crunching tackles and few attacks on the Albion goal should get the crowd behind them - Come on Villa!
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I think maybe he has been told to make that statement from above - at least they are taking notice of our feelings!
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That's the closest to an apology I can ever remember from a Villa manager, and for that fair play to him.
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I think, crowd wise, we'll show unity in the face of adversity.
I think the atmosphere and support will be good on Saturday.
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Fair play to him. We need to move on and really get behind our team. They need us more than ever.
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Let's give this intelligent, experienced, caring man a chance to prove himself to us. Patience is the name of the game on our part plus the passion that we can bring with us on match days.
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Clean slate, now let's crack on. But please, no more Liverpool talk.
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If you're big enough to apologise for fucking up, that earns respect from me. Now let's do what he says and get it sorted.
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Yep, I hope Villains can just forget about what was said and just get behind the team for a much needed 3 points.
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Good on him. Other managers in the past wouldn't have reacted as well and as contritely.
Now, lets smash those baggie bastards and show things are getting better and we are going to get out of this situation we are not quite in yet.
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fair play for the apology, but for me, it will take more than just words to forgive his disgraceful actions last night...
but its a start...
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That'll do.
Now let's sort things out on the pitch.
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As I said earlier, It takes a big man to come out and apologise. A line should be drawn under yesterday and we should all get behind GH and the squad.
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That'll do.
Now let's sort things out on the pitch.
What he said.
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Thanks GH now let's move on to the weekend and get three vital point's against the Albion.
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Foolish thing to say in the first place, the whole thing was so avoidable.
Whether he felt in the cold light of day he overstepped the mark last night and came to the conclusion himself that an explanation was necessary or whether he was pulled up on it doesn't make a huge pile of difference.
Good on him.
He'll only fully put it behind him though if we get results on the pitch, starting Saturday.
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He must have been told. Fair play in any case, I was absolutely disgusted last night but if the team come out and play better on Saturday that'll draw a real line under what has been a bad week.
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What he classes as humorous is somewhat strange, none the less, we should perhaps put it behind us.
We need to get behind the team 100% for Saturday.
3 points is a must.
If he was hurting as much as me last night he wouldn't have felt in the slightest bit humorous.
However, being at the game I didn't see or hear what he did so I haven't felt particularly angry with him.
We need to get things right for Saturday and give him and the team our full backing.
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And that's fair enough from Ged. Let's draw a line under it and move on, we're in the shit and we need to stick together.
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I think Gerard is trying to turn us into a passing side and I have no problem with that he needs time and a few bad results in between.
However I did have an issue with "touching" and 3-0 comment last night. This is very good of him and I think we can read errornous for humorous.
Let's go forward together.
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i have just about thawed out but i hope our leader never mentions the scousers again! Last night was a disgrace! If i write FULL STOP will it have more of an effect than a .?
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Gotta be positive. We have Ashley, Bannan, a fitter Albrighton back sat. Lets start again .......
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Good man for the apology, and good that they're working on it at Bodymoor, I hope McAllister steps up to the plate too now.
Also hope GH & GMac let the senior players have it today, they needed a hairdryer moment
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Agreed. A lot of anger from all last night and justifiably so.
Time to move on, turn it into support and get right behind the lads on Saturday.
Already whilst writing this I'm feeling a surge of energy so let's bring it on for this week end and intimidate the life out of Adrian Giles, Frank Skinner and all the other inbreds.
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Fair play to him.
Sat is a huge game, and I reckon we are going to smash em.
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Or Adrian Chiles even......... ;)
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Fair play for apologising, He must have a wierd sense of humour but he's french so i'll let it slide.
Lets hammer them baggie twats now and make up for it
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I think it's called 'Gallow Humour'
Everyone deserves a second chance, let's just make easier work of WBA than we did the last time they came here.
Sepp Blatter was asked : 'Who is your favourite Qatar player?'
The FIFA president replied: 'Well it's a toss up between Eric Clapton and
Jimi Hendrix.'
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Fair play. Certainly puts him apart from dol and probably mon who only ever gave us the most forced, mealy mouthed apologies. Fair play to team randy as well who have clearly got in to nip this in the bud.
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Doesn't bother me what he says about Liverpool. What I want to see is the team having some sort of organisation. Some players who bust a gut for O Neill, don't seem to be pulling their weight, keeping their eye on the ball. The kids are doing us proud mind you, but they shouldn't be thrown in like they are. Granted that's not GH's fault (or perhaps the injuries in part are, who knows?).
But yes, some organisation, and some kind of working gameplan would be nice. He used to be well known for very dull football at Liverpool. 2 Banks of 4, and very defensive, and playing on the counter. I'd take that right now. But we're shipping goals far too easily. In addition to that the attack is toothless.
Never mind the apologies. We need a gameplan and he needs to get the players following it. Maybe barating them in the press has lost him some of the dressing room?
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He has clearly been told to say that. My mother (94 years a Villa fan) used to say. If you are really sorry you would not have said it in the first place. I thought he was a tosser last night. I still think he is a tosser. A tosser with a very good command of the english language but a tosser nonetheless.
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Blimey, wish my wife dropped her drawers as quick as you lot! Where does he apologise? He says I'm back at work, have some lovely memories of when I was at Liverpool and we're all in this together. (Where have I heard that before?)
He was the biggest c**t walking last night and if he picks the wrong team and we lose again on Saturday this place will explode again.
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I didn't think he was a 'c**t' last night and I don't now. I thought his comments were very misguided and he has attempted to clarify them. That will do for me and I'd rather get on a try and support him to success with Villa.
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Not quite an apology but at least he has acknowledged that there was a problem and that will do for me. I said on one of the threads last night, that I didn't complain when Graham Taylor was waving to Villa fans on demand when he returned (and got trounced) with Watford. So for Houllier to touch the "this is anfield" and wave to em doesnt bother me overly. It was just the lack of acknowledgement to the poor buggers who travelled on a school night in freezing fog to watch that shite!
But, at least he has had the grace to say something (which i cant see the previous manager ever doing) so fair play. Lets move on..and smash the Baggies
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I hope the players are still on side and want to dig him out of this hole otherwise he's fucked anyway. Saturday is make or break in many ways.
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At the moment I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. We all say things in the heat of the moment, most of us don't have cameras/microphones nearby to record what we wish we hadn't said, even if we mean it. He should have known better, let's hope it's the kick up the backside he needs.
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Actions speak louder than words, to use a cliche. Getting it right both on and off the field is the aim now, the later somewhat easier than the former. But it's results that count.
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If you wanted to word a statement that was the complete antithesis of everything David OLeary thought of us when he was manager, then that is it.
Houllier has gone up in my estimation.
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It was a totally over the top reaction by many. We have been poor but also have looked very good as against Man Utd. We are very light on experience and I'm more pissed off with the likes of Dunne, Collins, Young and Warnock. They have plenty of experience and are all good players. What has happened to that lot I don't know.
I'm sure if we had Carlos, Petrov and Heskey in the team we would have had a bit more guts and leadership out there.
Fair play To Gerard, I can't blame him for getting mixed up in the emotions on returning to Anfield. Football can be very emotional, we all know that, especially certain grounds that are close to the heart. I bloody hope any ex Villa player or manager especially if they have helped bring success to our club would feel they could show a bit of emotion and gratitude to us if they ever came back, even if they were with say the blues, baggies, whoever.
I don't know what the older heads are playing at, certainly aint for their Villa future.
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I've always felt (from experience) its hard to gain an affinity with a new employer when you've only been around for 5 minutes, and there's a tendency to look back on an old job you particularly enjoyed with affection.
So, I can understand to some extent Gerrards acknowledgement of the reception he received. He had a good relationship with the people there and maybe he felt it would have been disrespectful not to show he still felt a fondness for the bin-dipping bastards.
Its just that - and this touches on a discussion I had with Dave W in the 'WC bid press leaks' thread - its sometimes best for all concerned if you keep your mouth shut.
As a footnote - would anyone have taken the slightest bit of notice of his behaviour had we WON 3-0?
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As a footnote - would anyone have taken the slightest bit of notice of his behaviour had we WON 3-0?
Fewer people, I imagine. We didn't though, we lost and he still said it, which made it worse.
The thing I hope most is that he's learned something from this, and that we've finally killed off this misty eyed Scouserphilia.
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Well he couldn't have basically said he don't mind losing to Liverpool.
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Fair play to him it's nice to know someone is listening
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He would of been more upset if we had beat them,is he here for real or just a laugh!
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As a footnote - would anyone have taken the slightest bit of notice of his behaviour had we WON 3-0?
Fewer people, I imagine. We didn't though, we lost and he still said it, which made it worse.
The thing I hope most is that he's learned something from this, and that we've finally killed off this misty eyed Scouserphilia.
Precisely. What I'm saying is, I couldn't care less if he goes to bed with LFC pyjamas on.
I'm way more pissed off with the result last night than I am with his post match interview comments.
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Ron Atkinson had a good relationship with the Manchester United supporters, but on the basis he thought he'd been badly treated by the club you always felt he wanted to get one over on them when the clubs came face-to-face.
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if he love Liverpool too much make us as a good team as Liverpool in the 80s. When they win everything. That will do for us.
I think he need to stop answering Liverpool questions and talking about Liverpool for now.
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Fair enough I suppose. If he doesn't turn this awful form around though, all the apologies in the world won't save him.
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It is down to us collectively as a club to work hard to bring joy and success to the fans because the fans are the most important. They are passionate, vocal and fantastic, which I stated when I first came here. They know we are in this together and their support will be vital on Saturday for our game against West Bromwich Albion.
We know we are in something, I'm not sure we know we are together in that something when we have a misty eyed love sick teenager still pandering for the girl that dumped him years ago running the show.
Talk is cheap, let's see some tackling, some work rate, some leadership on the field and from the bench this Saturday and we might start to feel we are all together in it.
And please...let's not see any players smiling, joking or fraternizing with the opposition until we have ripped them a new arse.
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Pretty speech GH, now win on Saturday.
Win, damn you.
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Blimey, wish my wife dropped her drawers as quick as you lot!
She does...oh I guess you don't know :D
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What he said last night and what he says in this statement are both red herrings in my opinion.
Only thing that matters to me is that he cant get this group of players to play for him and he isnt looking like he can change that.
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Well done to whoever in the club had a word with him. Something needed to be said. I hope Houllier takes it as a wake up call. Yes we want better football and the majority of fans are prepared to give him time to get it right. What was completely out of order yesterday was the defeatist attitude both from the manager and the players. He needs to understand that this "7th to 12th position" is not how we see the club. Despite our injuries, we still expect, and rightly so, to see a Villa team "battle" for 90 minutes.
He claimed we showed Arsenal too much respect. I can only imagine he gave the lads a tour of the Anfield trophy room before the game. Saturday is a great opportunity to show he has the heart and desire to succeed in the Villa job. I wish him well.
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Dont give a shit about an apology. Make sure the team starts winning occasionally , if not leave.
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Talk is cheap, let's see some tackling, some work rate, some leadership on the field and from the bench this Saturday and we might start to feel we are all together in it.
And please...let's not see any players smiling, joking or fraternizing with the opposition until we have ripped them a new arse.
Spot on, Bren.
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As Big Ron used to say; 'don't tell me, show me'. Over to you GH.
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He would of been more upset if we had beat them,is he here for real or just a laugh!
Where did he say that?
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Nobody actually says sorry any more do they, its all 'you lot were too stupid to understand that I meant something beyond the words I used and surely I cant be held responsible for that'
It was a storm on a tea-cup any road.
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Better, clearly the boardroom has shown its displeasure at his behaviour last night and ticked him off.
Now let's make life a whole lot easier for ourselves by winning some games!
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Just supposing MON returns one day with say Newcastle, or more likely Wolves, and we give him a great reception in respect of the good times he gave us - and unfurl a huge banner on the Holte End thanking him for what he did for us... do you think we'd be slightly peeved if he totally ignored us and refused to answer questions about the reception in his aftermatch interview? And do you think it's quite possible that amid the disappointment of having just seen his side stuffed he might forget all about thanking the Wolves or Newcastle fans who had travelled?
Come on, let's cut the guy some slack (GH that is).
I say fair play to the scousers for going to the trouble with the banner, and for remembering someone who gave them good service. And Gary Mac too.
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I'll forgive, but won't forget. It will be like that arguement you have with the Mrs, where she brings up something you did years ago and forgave you for, but throws it back in your face. Yeah, thats what I'll do!
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well done the manager and well done to the person who had a word... now have a fookin word with that tripe who wear our claret and blue shirts...
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I wish my girlfriend was as understanding as you lot when I apologise for something I've done wrong!
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Better, clearly the boardroom has shown its displeasure at his behaviour last night and ticked him off.
Now let's make life a whole lot easier for ourselves by winning some games!
That was not an apology and I doubt he wrote it.
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So following a difficult week when the dregs of our support brought shame upon the club, it is our manager who has to issue a statement to explain a gesture of thanks and kind words for his former fans - the bastard.
That said the small band of brothers who travelled in the freezing cold to watch that garbage deserve better - 3 points on Saturday is the minimum requirement lets kick the wheels off the baggie bandwagon.
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Talk is cheap, let's see some tackling, some work rate, some leadership on the field and from the bench this Saturday and we might start to feel we are all together in it.
And please...let's not see any players smiling, joking or fraternizing with the opposition until we have ripped them a new arse.
Spot on, Bren.
Absolutely bang spot on,---players need to realise the seriousness of the plight we ARE IN---and sorry for me for our captain to walk off the pitch laughing and jokingbwith an opponent after a defeat JUST AINT ON,
at least have the f*****g decency to wait till your in the tunnel,
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I didn't hear the interview so cannot comment on what GH said or what the question was that was put to him.
Pre-match, every article I read or discussion I heard on the radio was about GH going back to Liverpool. It was like Liverpool were playing GH, not Aston Villa. We hardly got a mention. The media hyped up his return to Anfield to the point of the match being insignificant compared with his return. Every question put to him was either about his time at Liverpool or about Liverpool as a club. We think that it would have been very easy for him to say "I'm manager of Aston Villa now and will only talk about Aston Villa" and there are some managers that have done that in the past, usually because they want to make themselves appear bigger than the club. However, GH seems a genuine and respectful person and when asked a question gives an honest response rather than twisting it to make himself seem more important.
As others have said, draw a line under it, learn from it and file it with 'must do better next time'. People see things from the angle they want to see them and I will not say whether it was an apology from GH or he was told to say it as I do not know. Why some people can say he was clearly told to give the apology, I do not know because there is no evidence, one way or the other.
The more worrying thing is the form of the team. I always felt that the players we had under MON were playing to their limit in a certain system that suited them but not suited us if we wanted to progress. We have to acknowledge that some of the players are not top class, although have played very well in the past.
The lack of depth of the squad in relation to central midfield players has always worried me, especially as I have never thought we were particularly good in that area anyway. Throwing kids in together (although we do not have a choice) in this key area leaves us very weak, both defensively and going forward because they lack experience. Young players can look good on the ball but watch them when they do not have the ball and they get caught not concentrating e.g. Hogg for the 3rd goal last night. This also puts pressure on the defence. Defending is not just the back four but players from all over the pitch. This is why I believe we are conceeding so many goals from dead ball situations. The kids do not have the experience to, say, lean into a player if you are not going to win a header. This is making the back four look very poor but, by far, not the only reason.
Dunne played out of his skin last season, probably a reaction to being pushed out of Man City (I wish Ireland would show the same) but he does not seem to have the same desire this season and has gone back to his 'average' player status. Whether Dunne playing so well last season made Collins look better than he is, I don't know. Luke Young has lost some of his pace and is getting caught out of position at times and is receiving the ball facing his own goal rather than in front of him. Warnock is not the player he was before the injury last season. Whether this is due to not having AY in front of him, again I don't know. With the injuries we have in central midfield, I might be tempted to playing him in midfield for his experience and to try and get his form back. The biggest concern with the defence is that they do not seem to be talking to the younger players and getting them organised. Dunne as captain looks as vocal as an old lady in a library.
All in all, we are in trouble but have to do the best we can until we can bring some players in in January. For me, I think we need a dominating centre half (Johnson from Blues or is that too hard to swallow), a central midfield player who is a hard b****** (probably foreign as I cannot think of anyone in the PL that would suit) and a striker that can score goals. Which brings me to our formation. I do not think we have the right type of player with the right skill levels to play 5 in midfield with only one up front. I believe we need to play with two goalscorers, particulary as Gabby is not prolific and can drift out of the game.
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Houllier was appointed to his job because he is regarded as a safe pair of hands. The Liverpool debacle proved to me that the assessment of him as a manager always to do and say the right thing at the right time is completely wrong. He dropped the ball nine times on Monday night. Shall I touch the Liverpool badge as I walk out with the team of the club which pays my astronomical salary? Yes I will. F*ck the Villa. Shall I wave to the kop before the game? Yes I will. F*ck the Villa. Shall I sit to attention to listen to the Liverpool anthem? Yes I will. F*ck the Villa. Shall I wave to the kop after the game? Yes I will. F*ck the Villa. Shall I ignore the travelling fans who have made a journey of 200 miles and stood in the freezing cold to watch our team utterly humiliated? Yes I will. F*ck the Villa. Shall I say the game was lost when we went two nil down? Yes I will. F*ck the Villa. Shall I give a post match interview and play my part in a Liverpool adoring media love-in? Yes I will. F*ck the Villa. Shall I wait until I get back to Birmingham and get a bollocking about all the above before I issue the usual stereotyped banalities to save my own reputation as a caring manager so that my next salary cheque comes through on time? Yes I will. F*ck the Villa.
We have been put in a position that beating the Albion is the high point of our season. If we win every shortcoming of this manager and this team will be temporarily forgotten and swept under the carpet until we slide again. If we lose it will be headless chicken time and the lines of France Telecom will go into meltdown trying to find free forty year olds.
I don't forgive and I don't forget.
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I don't give a toss about his love affair with Liverpool. And this pathetically crafted piece of PR spin is an affront. Clearly written by a copywriter to a tight breif. i.e. Praise the Villa fans. Laugh off the comment about the loss. Tell them you are working hard. Tell them that we will win in the end. Oh, and support the team on Saturday
( not criticize me).
Obvious and transparent.
I do care about the obvious lack of passion, guts, team spirit, lack of confidence and this nonsense of losing a game and passing the ball back and forth behind the halfway line. As if WE are protecting a lead and holding the ball. What kind of game plan is THAT?
This team could play and win. This team has actually been improved by the youngsters. This team were brilliant against United. GH - it looks like you have lost the dressing room and a good deal of the support.
Now stop this training class and put some fire in their bellies and offer a tactical plan that makes the best of what we have to create chances. And let's go out to win a bloody game.
If you can't do that GH- then please resign. Or the fans will push you out. Shortest honeymoon period in football.
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Biggest load of pr bollocks I have ever read. He was told to write something...prob by Faulkner due to someone reading these posts Monday night.
What else could he say?? He had to say something along the lines of we must get results. Next game is important blah blah. I have been reading this shit from him after every bad performance and things get worse
Sort it out Frenchman of fuck off and stop ruining this club
go sit on the anfield board if you love Liverpool so much because at the moment as a long time season ticket holder I would rather have Barry fucking fry in charge than you at the moment!!!
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This was a non-issue with me anyway. He has a storied (sort of) history with Liverpool and it was his first trip back there, so fucking what? What he does at Villa is my only concern. If he keeps going on about Liverpool it will eventually grate but at the moment its a frame of reference, nothing more.
He was never my first choice, proabably not even in my top 10 but I'm going to give him a chance. He hasnt impressed me at all yet. Then again he has had nothing short of horrendous luck with injuries. I mean bordering on bad comedy. He needs the chance to get his own team together and until then I think its too early to call on his tenure. Then again, the danger is Randy blows another fortune backing a manager that isnt going to be here for too long.
I think Houllier teams (as many others) rely on momentum. I want him to have a chance to build some but he's going to need players and that means the new year. Both returning from injury and bought in the window.
Anyway, kudos for this message. I've never heard of such a thing happening before. You can call it a PR stunt if you like but then again some people will never be happy. It shows a board who listen to the concerns of their fans, however trivial, and a manager humble enough to explain himself on the club's website.
There are many managers I can think of who would not do such a thing.
It's a tough time for everybody at Villa at the moment but, if you're going through hell, keep going.
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This was a non-issue with me anyway. He has a storied (sort of) history with Liverpool and it was his first trip back there, so fucking what? What he does at Villa is my only concern. If he keeps going on about Liverpool it will eventually grate but at the moment its a frame of reference, nothing more.
It might have been tolerated Maz, IF he'd have at least acknowledged the travelling support, They deserved a word after travelling up there in Arctic temperatues, instead he acted like a gooey 12 year old schoolgirl in front of the Kop.
That said, a statement has been made so we should move on.
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The not acknowledging the fans was totally wrong and something he has to beware of in the future....as for his words I cant say that has bothered me in the slightest.....what does bother me is what is on the pitch, where has the solid defence gone? why are our full backs suddenly looking to foul wide players in such dangerous areas? why do our wide players get into dangerous areas and see no target time and time again? why do you bring Carew on and stop putting high balls into the box? so on and so on....
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fair play for an apology
BUT
make not to self to treat us like a load of wankers in the first place
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Didn't like the way he called us a mid table team when he arrived, he must have known we were top 6 last 3 yrs, nor did I like what he said about Carew and Ireland in public, whilst both have been poor this season, so has GH, and Carew has contributed far more to the football club over the last few yrs than GH has in his short tenure.
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This was a non-issue with me anyway. He has a storied (sort of) history with Liverpool and it was his first trip back there, so fucking what? What he does at Villa is my only concern. If he keeps going on about Liverpool it will eventually grate but at the moment its a frame of reference, nothing more.
It might have been tolerated Maz, IF he'd have at least acknowledged the travelling support, They deserved a word after travelling up there in Arctic temperatues, instead he acted like a gooey 12 year old schollgirl in front of the Kop.
That's fair enough.
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Biggest load of pr bollocks I have ever read. He was told to write something...prob by Faulkner due to someone reading these posts Monday night.
What else could he say?? He had to say something along the lines of we must get results. Next game is important blah blah. I have been reading this shit from him after every bad performance and things get worse
Sort it out Frenchman of fuck off and stop ruining this club
go sit on the anfield board if you love Liverpool so much because at the moment as a long time season ticket holder I would rather have Barry fucking fry in charge than you at the moment!!!
I am beholden to a somewhat milder version of this opinion. His apology doesn't cut it for me, he should have had sufficient intelligence in the first place not to do what he did. It's depressing to think he hadn't thought his actions through beforehand given what was likely to be a fairly obvious flashpoint if not handled carefully....
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Biggest load of pr bollocks I have ever read. He was told to write something...prob by Faulkner due to someone reading these posts Monday night.
What else could he say?? He had to say something along the lines of we must get results. Next game is important blah blah. I have been reading this shit from him after every bad performance and things get worse
Sort it out Frenchman of fuck off and stop ruining this club
go sit on the anfield board if you love Liverpool so much because at the moment as a long time season ticket holder I would rather have Barry fucking fry in charge than you at the moment!!!
Hate to say this but I tend to agree.
Its the sort of thing ex players put out when they try to justify moving to another club for more money
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Reminds me of that line from "The Beach" - "That's why French humour has conquered the world."
It's not so much just the comments, it was GH's whole demeanour around this game - see Brian Green's list. His focus seemed to be all about a nostalgia trip for him, hyped up by the media of course, but he didn't have to play along so willingly. It was as if he was barely aware he was there to manage Aston Villa and try to beat Liverpool, like Villa were some hired escort he'd taken along to an important networking event. Sure, acknowldege his time at Liverpool, but underline it with "that was the past, I am now boss of Villa and they are my priority". This is all the more important when your team is playing piss poorly and you are freefalling towards the relegation zone. If we were flying and in the top 6, this behaviour may have been more forgiveable. But we aren't.
Many of his comments have been misjudged and poor PR since his arrival. A bit of fire and passion from the team will go a lot further to alleviate that than any predictable PR driven explanation.
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The mainly positive reaction from fans here is intelligent, But, the fact he has had to write that so soon after arriving and after injuring half the senior players through over-training and after turning a decent team into a bunch of tactically inept clowns bodes ill. Imagine if you had just started a new job and equivalent things were unravelling in front of your customers and your bosses...
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What Houllier said and did on Monday, whilst smacking of stupidity, is not the main thing that bothers me. The main thing is the gutless, passionless rubbish that our team have churned out over the last few weeks and the way this seemingly reflects our managers general demeanour.
So enough with the apologies (and that is probably the weakest apology I have seen for some time, obviously given under duress), fire the team up for the derby on Saturday and get us three points.
If Houllier can't manage that he should walk.
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The mainly positive reaction from fans here is intelligent, But, the fact he has had to write that so soon after arriving and after injuring half the senior players through over-training and after turning a decent team into a bunch of tactically inept clowns bodes ill. Imagine if you had just started a new job and equivalent things were unravelling in front of your customers and your bosses...
Your probation period card would get a showing i fear.
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Step 1: Acknowledge there’s a problem.
Step 2: Fix it.
He's done the right thing by acknowledging it and 3 points on Saturday will go a long way towards fixing it.
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I think hes probably been told to make that statement from above , a rap across his knuckles maybe but he should have known better and lets hope we never hear him drone on about liverpool again!
aston villa are a huge club mr houllier - you are very lucky to be their manager so please get on with the job you were appointed to do and most of us im sure will give you our backing
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The mainly positive reaction from fans here is intelligent, But, the fact he has had to write that so soon after arriving and after injuring half the senior players through over-training and after turning a decent team into a bunch of tactically inept clowns bodes ill. Imagine if you had just started a new job and equivalent things were unravelling in front of your customers and your bosses...
I didnt Houllier tackled like Mark Dennis on the training pitch.
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Nobody actually says sorry any more do they, its all 'you lot were too stupid to understand that I meant something beyond the words I used and surely I cant be held responsible for that'
Not on here, no.
It was a storm on a tea-cup any road.
Pretty much. Angrier with the players. And angrier with the dickhead fans v BCFC last week.
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Load of bollocks. He was obviously made to do it, it is so scripted, so insincere and he's an idiot who talks a load of shit. He reminds me of DOL in that respect.
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Load of bollocks. He was obviously made to do it, it is so scripted, so insincere and he's an idiot who talks a load of shit. He reminds me of DOL in that respect.
It's not insincere, he's not an idiot, he doesn't talk shit and he is so far away from DO'L as a manager and a human being that you comparison is laughable in my opinion.
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Being discussed now on Talksport
They are far from impressed with Houlliers "apology"
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Being discussed now on Talksport
They are far from impressed with Houlliers "apology"
It's kind of their job not to be really.
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They'll say anything to get the texts coming in.
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They're laying into Benitez now ;D
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I think they should put on a dinner and public shaming forum in the Hotle Suite for the poor beggars who made the long trip to darkest Scouseland. ;-)
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I think they should put on a dinner and public shaming forum in the Hotle Suite for the poor beggars who made the long trip to darkest Scouseland. ;-)
Yeah, then the manager could snap at them to "shut up" like the last one did.
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I'm definitely not a fan of French comedy - apart from Inspector Clouseau.
However, I'll withhold any vitriol until at least 4.55pm on Saturday.
Show some passion and fire the players up, M. Houllier. Make it up if you have to. It's time for results, now.
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If we dont get a result on Saturday, I'm going to ambush him like Kato.
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I think they should put on a dinner and public shaming forum in the Hotle Suite for the poor beggars who made the long trip to darkest Scouseland. ;-)
Yeah, then the manager could snap at them to "shut up" like the last one did.
Great wasn't it. Perhaps Gerard could knock out a rendition of Long Haired Lover from Liverpool on his harmonica.
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He's more a "Leaving of Liverpool" man on the old Banjo.
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Some comments from The General on the Houllier comments.
Link (http://astonvilla-views.com/2010/12/08/general-krulak-on-ghs-comments-avfc/)
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We need to get behind the manager and give him a chance. He has had no pre-season, no time to work on tactics, an awful injury list and an inherited squad. He comes across as extremely thoughtful and very respectful to the club and our tradition (I am in Shanghai and have heard no interviews since all of your you tube and BBC video bobbins are banned / unavailable here, so do not include the stuff from Monday night).
I see no point in even thinking of switching manager now. We need a real show of unity and a 1970s Ron Saunders era 110% vocal support on Saturday, but I fear the worst if we concede the first goal.
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I switched off just after the 3rd goal when Downing skyed a ball high into the night air.
I wasnt very happy along with the other Villans around at the gutless, shambolic and disgraceful 'performance' so I dont think I was in any kind of mood for a light hearted joke from the manager about losing to Liverpool.
I think the response to our new manager after the Anfield debacle has been virtolic with message boards (official and unofficial) bombarded so fair play to the club to appease the customers...sorry supporters by issuing a contrite statement.
Where MON started making the right noises at the beginning of his tenure and then it imploded, perhaps Hou has started badly and will give us a period of success.
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Where MON started making the right noises at the beginning of his tenure and then it imploded, perhaps Hou has started badly and will give us a period of success.
I'm just hoping it's a wake up call and he now realises we are a club with serious ambitions and where 110% effort is expected.
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Let's judge him on results not his words.
Win the next two games and this will be forgotten, however a loss against the baggies and it could get ugly
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While my jury is out re GED - and whatever the fek we've been doing on the training ground opposite defensive structure and responsibilities, it probably could be worse:
Just took these gems from a barcode site:
"As much as I dislike the fact that Alan Shitdrew is about to made manager I just pray that he proves everyone wrong including myself and becomes a decent manager for us....hating every second of this, I could have been sick when I heard Chris was sacked! The only reason why Shitdrew is being appointed is that he and Ashley are best of buddies!!"
and
"If Barton and Carroll were to set about him as he turns up and hospitalize him for 6 months we might get a better manager in who can keep us up come May
Time for positive thoughts like this "
Priceless!
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Let's judge him on results not his words.
Win the next two games and this will be forgotten, however a loss against the baggies and it could get ugly
It's not and nor should it be about one game, it's about the team and the effort they put in. Obviously a win would be great but if we put in a performance like the Man Utd game, where we sweated blood and created lots of chances, I think most will see it as a positive sign. Three points would be great though.
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Agree to an extent after ManUre I felt lifted even though we'd lost 2 points the team and especially the kids did us proud.
I would love to see a couple of ugly wins now though, keep it tight at the back and win the next two 1 nil
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Let's judge him on results not his words.
Win the next two games and this will be forgotten, however a loss against the baggies and it could get ugly
It's not and nor should it be about one game, it's about the team and the effort they put in. Obviously a win would be great but if we put in a performance like the Man Utd game, where we sweated blood and created lots of chances, I think most will see it as a positive sign. Three points would be great though.
It shouldn't be, but in this case it is Im afraid. Anything less than 3 points against the Albion and he's almost in an untenable situation as the louder, less patient amongst our numbers will turn very vocal and very ugly.
While I don't necessarily agree with this point of view, it will be the very real situation. Only a string of wins can really save Houllier's potential long-term stint here. Spirited draws won't keep him here or us up.
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My one of several gripes with Houiller the other night was the total lack of passion from either him or McCallister when we were 2-0 down. They were both sat there shivering like two old men waiting for a bus. You wanted one of them to be on the touchline geeing the players on, waving them forward, telling them to keep the ball, etc.
It depressed me to be honest, and dose'nt hold well for the future next time we're 2-0 down away from home, which judging by the run of games we have after Wigan, could well happen.
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Let's judge him on results not his words.
Win the next two games and this will be forgotten, however a loss against the baggies and it could get ugly
It's not and nor should it be about one game, it's about the team and the effort they put in. Obviously a win would be great but if we put in a performance like the Man Utd game, where we sweated blood and created lots of chances, I think most will see it as a positive sign. Three points would be great though.
Really? A performance without the result against the Baggies could be good enough? I'm surprised.
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Problem is even if we win the West Brom and Wigan games it might only buy him time now. Next time we hit a dodgy patch or lose a game we're expected to win those comments will be dragged up again.
He needs a strong second half to the campaign.
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If we win our next two games, we will have NRC and Heskey fully fit, so that is a massive plus, BUT we have to win them which we do not look like doing.
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A manager with a 12 million pound contract should not have dodgy patches. We must have consistency. I wish I could see Houllier delivering it but I can't. He is Doctor Josef Venglos II.
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We'll smash the Baggies, win awkwardly at Wigan and have a really good performance against Spurs but unfortunately only come away with a point and everything will be all right again.
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Let's judge him on results not his words.
Win the next two games and this will be forgotten, however a loss against the baggies and it could get ugly
It's not and nor should it be about one game, it's about the team and the effort they put in. Obviously a win would be great but if we put in a performance like the Man Utd game, where we sweated blood and created lots of chances, I think most will see it as a positive sign. Three points would be great though.
Really? A performance without the result against the Baggies could be good enough? I'm surprised.
Wake up, he's gone, get over it. If we only manage a draw on Saturday but put in a top level performance, I'll be happy. What I won't accept is another piss poor effort from the team and a manager that showed zero passion or interest, getting up from his seat, having a look around and sitting down again, without opening his mouth. Once again for the hard of thinking, 3 points will be great but as sad as it is to admit, the Albion are more than a half decent team and we'll need to produce something special compared to Monday to beat them.
Oh and just for the record, Martin O'Neill is a c**t for leaving us the way he did.
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Let's judge him on results not his words.
Win the next two games and this will be forgotten, however a loss against the baggies and it could get ugly
It's not and nor should it be about one game, it's about the team and the effort they put in. Obviously a win would be great but if we put in a performance like the Man Utd game, where we sweated blood and created lots of chances, I think most will see it as a positive sign. Three points would be great though.
Really? A performance without the result against the Baggies could be good enough? I'm surprised.
Wake up, he's gone, get over it. If we only manage a draw on Saturday but put in a top level performance, I'll be happy. What I won't accept is another piss poor effort from the team and a manager that showed zero passion or interest, getting up from his seat, having a look around and sitting down again, without opening his mouth. Once again for the hard of thinking, 3 points will be great but as sad as it is to admit, the Albion are more than a half decent team and we'll need to produce something special compared to Monday to beat them.
Oh and just for the record, Martin O'Neill is a c**t for leaving us the way he did.
I am angry at his timing but we still don't know the full story behind it. All was apparently OK on the Saturday after his meeting with Randy and 48 hours later he was gone. I'm still puzzled by this but don't think he's a c**t
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Whether he chose to go of his own accord or even if he had been sacked it was time for mon to go-he did a decent job here but it had run it's course and was better for all concerned that his reign ended- I do not believe he would have taken us further and witthout milner we would have been considerably weaker.
I would however have preferred mon to have gone in may rather than august- he probably realised he'd taken us as far as he could but his timing of departure somewhat ruins his reputation .
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Let's judge him on results not his words.
Win the next two games and this will be forgotten, however a loss against the baggies and it could get ugly
Yes lets judge him on 3 wins in 13
It was a desperation appointment of a manager past his best
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Let's judge him on results not his words.
Win the next two games and this will be forgotten, however a loss against the baggies and it could get ugly
It's not and nor should it be about one game, it's about the team and the effort they put in. Obviously a win would be great but if we put in a performance like the Man Utd game, where we sweated blood and created lots of chances, I think most will see it as a positive sign. Three points would be great though.
Really? A performance without the result against the Baggies could be good enough? I'm surprised.
Wake up, he's gone, get over it. If we only manage a draw on Saturday but put in a top level performance, I'll be happy. What I won't accept is another piss poor effort from the team and a manager that showed zero passion or interest, getting up from his seat, having a look around and sitting down again, without opening his mouth. Once again for the hard of thinking, 3 points will be great but as sad as it is to admit, the Albion are more than a half decent team and we'll need to produce something special compared to Monday to beat them.
Oh and just for the record, Martin O'Neill is a c**t for leaving us the way he did.
Fair enough. If you get what you want from the Villa by treating the thing as a crappy fucking soap opera, where the players "sweating blood" and the manager jumping about on the sideline are what matters to you, you're welcome to it.
I concern myself with results. I don't give a flying fuck what a win looks like. I'll be there urging them on to a win and anything less will leave me disappointed. It has been and probably always will be that way for me, regardless of the opposition. Even if they are a super duper team like you seem to view the Baggies as.
As for your prissy little outburst on O'Neill and the need to "get over it", I can only say physician heal thyself. In soap opera world it is as simple as change the manager and we get pretty football and better results, in the real world it isn't that simple.
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At the moment it appears to me that Robert Pires is the embodiement of Houiller on the pitch, ambling around with a swagger that says I was once great and now I am not that interested anymore. Its like we are now the retirement home for a player and manager wanting a last visit around some of their old favourite grounds, does not matter about the results. Its not exactly unfinished business with a determination to succeed more like lets enjoy a fun jolly round the premier league.
Aston Villa welcome you to join Houiller and Pires for their farewell tour.
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At the moment it appears to me that Robert Pires is the embodiement of Houiller on the pitch, ambling around with a swagger that says I was once great and now I am not that interested anymore.
My mate pointed out that he stands like he's just shit himself.
He probably did against Arsenal.
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I could have sworn Dave and others made it quite clear why O'Neill left, but then if it doesn't fit your respective agenda you aren't going to believe it.
I'm not impressed with Ged so far, for all sorts of reasons but on reflection after the poor showing by all, Ged especially, I can't see that we cannot do anything other than sit and pray all goes well, hopefully when he can put a regular team out for a few weeks.
As we mostly said leaving just before the seasons kickoff was a terrible way to leave a club, moving Houllier on now wouldn't be much better.
I'd like to see how Newcastle's new man copes. It going to be hard if as indicated the players and fans aren't happy with their old managers sacking
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Fair enough. If you get what you want from the Villa by treating the thing as a crappy fucking soap opera, where the players "sweating blood" and the manager jumping about on the sideline are what matters to you, you're welcome to it.
It's far more simple than that, I want both manager and team to convince me they give a fuck. On Monday night it appeared neither did. We weren't prepared to battle for the ball and as many have mentioned, Houllier appeared more concerned with keeping warm. When he did get up on his feet, he looked around, appeared bemused and sat down again, obviously devoid of any ideas.
As I've already mentioned earlier, I really hope the post match reaction to his comments serve as a wake up call for the man. There are no easy games this season and Albion are not as poor as they used to be, far from it. If he can't get the lads charged up for Saturday he may as well give up. There's no guarantee we'll pick up all three points but we should be aiming to rip them a new arse trying. It's the minimum I expect from any Villa team.
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I have the perfect response to his message, I will express it in song.
''Stop your messin' around,
Better think of our future,
Time to sort the team out,
Or else we'll wind up in shit,
Hou-lli, a message to Houl-li-er
a message to you...'
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Fair enough. If you get what you want from the Villa by treating the thing as a crappy fucking soap opera, where the players "sweating blood" and the manager jumping about on the sideline are what matters to you, you're welcome to it.
It's far more simple than that, I want both manager and team to convince me they give a fuck. On Monday night it appeared neither did. We weren't prepared to battle for the ball and as many have mentioned, Houllier appeared more concerned with keeping warm. When he did get up on his feet, he looked around, appeared bemused and sat down again, obviously devoid of any ideas.
As I've already mentioned earlier, I really hope the post match reaction to his comments serve as a wake up call for the man. There are no easy games this season and Albion are not as poor as they used to be, far from it. If he can't get the lads charged up for Saturday he may as well give up. There's no guarantee we'll pick up all three points but we should be aiming to rip them a new arse trying. It's the minimum I expect from any Villa team.
What he said. Exactly.
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Lose against Baggies and I think he'll be gone. I have the feeling the board may be a little embarressed by his comments this week and that could be the final straw.
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Lose against Baggies and I think he'll be gone. I have the feeling the board may be a little embarressed by his comments this week and that could be the final straw.
I don't.
However, if you look at the next six fixtures, there aren't a lot of obvious points to be had. If we don't take any on Saturday, and then things go as I suspect they might for the next four or five games, then it's going to get very touch and go.
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He has a 3 year contract at 2 million a year. Can we pay him 6m and remove him?
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He has a 3 year contract at 2 million a year. Can we pay him 6m and remove him?
Pray to God there are clausing in there allowing the club to end the contract based on performance without a full payout - maybe he'll get 1 year for example
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Let's judge him on results not his words.
Win the next two games and this will be forgotten, however a loss against the baggies and it could get ugly
Yes lets judge him on 3 wins in 13
It was a desperation appointment of a manager past his best
Agree fully, it was a shocking appointment, but we are where we are.
Hope it turns it around but can't see he has the energy or appetite. And giving him the chequebook in Jan worries me.
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really can't see the point of sacking him this early. Any manager with a clue is gonna want to change our style whether that was Martin Jol or whoever, and that, like it or not, will mean results will suffer this season and probably next. The problems with the squad (injuries, reliance on kids, bobbins players etc.,) are there for all to see. you can't change that in a couple of months. Alternatively we can get in someone like tony pulis, revert to hoof ball and watch us climb the table till we hit the same glass ceiling MON encountered
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Sooner have my head against the ceiling than my feet on the trapdoor Greg.
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Say we lost the next four, he'd surely have to go
Its a results driven business
We should be seeing a spike with a new man at the healm
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Dunno. can't imagine anything more soul destroying than just making up the numbers in the premier league as we would have under MON. 10 years of the occasional losing cup final and a shoe-in for the Europa as the best of the rest doesn't really tie-in with the owners plans as i understood them. don't know if Houllier is the right choice but i can live with things being a bit iffy short term if there's a scope for improvement longer term. signing players like bob Pires is worrying though - doesn't exactly scream there's money available to me
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signing players like bob Pires is worrying though - doesn't exactly scream there's money available to me
Eh? It screams that half our squad is crooked and the transfer window is closed.
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signing players like bob Pires is worrying though - doesn't exactly scream there's money available to me
Eh? It screams that half our squad is crooked and the transfer window is closed.
smacks of desperation to me. Why? I don't mind experience but he's older than god's dog
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He's on a six month contract, no worries.
Good to have you back, Gregory.
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Thousands of elderly people in warm care homes drop dead this time of year. Poor old bob is out there in minus temperatures wearing nowt but shorts. He'll be lucky to last that long........
cheers Mark.
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So far the Pires thing hasnt worked, but Im actually pleased he (hou) tried something. We were crippled with injuries, and maybe we will seem some influence of a great player coming through in our young lads. He is no Ryan Giggs for pace though, im a bit worried I can outdistance him with my crocked back and gippy knee!
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signing players like bob Pires is worrying though - doesn't exactly scream there's money available to me
Eh? It screams that half our squad is crooked and the transfer window is closed.
smacks of desperation to me. Why? I don't mind experience but he's older than god's dog
Because he is the best player we could have signed at that moment. If he's not doing anything by January he'll probably move on.
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signing players like bob Pires is worrying though - doesn't exactly scream there's money available to me
Eh? It screams that half our squad is crooked and the transfer window is closed.
smacks of desperation to me. Why? I don't mind experience but he's older than god's dog
Because he is the best player we could have signed at that moment. If he's not doing anything by January he'll probably move on.
he's bloody ancient. Should have retired 2 plus years ago. Just seems pointless to me. I can see the arguement that he was a very good player once but then so was zola, cantona etc., and i'd been worried if we signed them. yes we're in a hole due to MON and injury situation but play the kids. Yep they'll be inconsistant or just plain bad but playing some guy who should be on a golf course is embarrassing
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he's bloody ancient. Should have retired 2 plus years ago. Just seems pointless to me. I can see the arguement that he was a very good player once but then so was zola, cantona etc., and i'd been worried if we signed them. yes we're in a hole due to MON and injury situation but play the kids. Yep they'll be inconsistant or just plain bad but playing some guy who should be on a golf course is embarrassing
We had no more kids to play. He's here for a few months, he's an extra body in the squad and he just might be a good influence on the younger players in training.
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Sooner have my head against the ceiling than my feet on the trapdoor Greg.
It was obvious to all that we'd have to back out of the parking spot we were in, in order to find another.
I just never considered that we may end up in a completely different car park!
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he's bloody ancient. Should have retired 2 plus years ago. Just seems pointless to me. I can see the arguement that he was a very good player once but then so was zola, cantona etc., and i'd been worried if we signed them. yes we're in a hole due to MON and injury situation but play the kids. Yep they'll be inconsistant or just plain bad but playing some guy who should be on a golf course is embarrassing
We had no more kids to play. He's here for a few months, he's an extra body in the squad and he just might be a good influence on the younger players in training.
I agree with that, and it was worth looking at, but having seen him perform for us so far, it is hard to believe he's going to be able to offer anything at all on the pitch.
As someone on here said of him the other day, "it's like watching a fan who has got onto the pitch".
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I just think he's way off the pace. Training with Arsenal, and playing the odd 5-a-side isn't exactly Premier League football. By the time he's up to speed it will be time to move on. So be it. He was a body when we desperately needed one. No harm done. Good to see greg back though, melodramatic and melancholy as ever.
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well i am predicting a villa win so not that melancholy.....Bring in an old head by all means but preferably someone not that past it. Is he using his old liverpool transfer target list from 6 years ago? Does this mean we'll be bidding for Gaz Barry in January along with Roy Keane?
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I've heard he's bringing back Didier Six in as well.
Bonnie Tyler possibly, though Welsh she sung a song about France once so she's also in the reckoning.....
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he's bloody ancient. Should have retired 2 plus years ago. Just seems pointless to me. I can see the arguement that he was a very good player once but then so was zola, cantona etc., and i'd been worried if we signed them. yes we're in a hole due to MON and injury situation but play the kids. Yep they'll be inconsistant or just plain bad but playing some guy who should be on a golf course is embarrassing
We had no more kids to play. He's here for a few months, he's an extra body in the squad and he just might be a good influence on the younger players in training.
I agree with that, and it was worth looking at, but having seen him perform for us so far, it is hard to believe he's going to be able to offer anything at all on the pitch.
As someone on here said of him the other day, "it's like watching a fan who has got onto the pitch".
That was me.
I don't know if it's because he's older than Tutankhamun's hand maiden or just so far behind the pace of the game that it dazzles him.
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A very accurate analogy
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Why couldn't Houllier come out on Tuesday and say, 'sorry for my behaviour but I got caught up in the emotion of the night and the return'. All would have been forgiven but, no he had to try flanneling us with, it was a 'joke'.
He did come out and apologise on Friday but, that was three days too late to mean anything, apart from, 'I have to say sorry to keep my job'.
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signing players like bob Pires is worrying though - doesn't exactly scream there's money available to me
Eh? It screams that half our squad is crooked and the transfer window is closed.
you'd have thought so. Considering the problems Mon had signing players during transfer windows getting quality like Pirez outside the window was a clever move. Its a pity hes not too good yet.
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Why couldn't Houllier come out on Tuesday and say, 'sorry for my behaviour but I got caught up in the emotion of the night and the return'. All would have been forgiven but, no he had to try flanneling us with, it was a 'joke'.
I think it was intended as a joke, as he thought it was obvious that he, as a professional and despite his connections to Liverpool, didn't want to lose a football match.
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signing players like bob Pires is worrying though - doesn't exactly scream there's money available to me
Eh? It screams that half our squad is crooked and the transfer window is closed.
smacks of desperation to me. Why? I don't mind experience but he's older than god's dog
He's the same age as Ryan giggs.
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Maybe we should get back to the old days, where whatever the manager (The Boss) said or did was what happened. That was for the players, the staff, the board (unless they sacked the manager), and yes..the fans too. None of this time wasted having to do PR and justify their actions to the fans.
With Ron Saunders you were under orders to get behind him and the team fully, and in return you got 110% effort on the pitch. Otherwise, you felt he would punch you in the face and knock your lights out.
Before someone says it, I know....so in that case all Houllier has to do is go and build a team that wins the league.
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He seemed really angry that he had to actually say sorry yesterday, thats the most emotion I've seen from him to date.
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signing players like bob Pires is worrying though - doesn't exactly scream there's money available to me
Eh? It screams that half our squad is crooked and the transfer window is closed.
smacks of desperation to me. Why? I don't mind experience but he's older than god's dog
He's the same age as Ryan giggs.
well it depends if you're claiming ryan giggs is the norm. I can't think of many 37 year olds who are currently making a major contribution to their teams. In fact i can't think of many 37 year old outfield players at all
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Sorry if this has been posted elsewhere, but he's obviously upset, especially by General K's comments, and for me doesn't do that good a job of explaining it all away.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aston_villa/9276024.stm
However, if he'd shown as much passion over some of our performances as he does in answer to the not saying sorry question, I'd have far few worries.
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well it depends if you're claiming ryan giggs is the norm. I can't think of many 37 year olds who are currently making a major contribution to their teams. In fact i can't think of many 37 year old outfield players at all
As has already been stated, who would you like him to sign during a horrendous injury crisis and a closed transfer window? I give him credit for trying, it's not like he's played that many minutes. Houllier realises he is not up to big minutes and is using him sparingly.
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well it depends if you're claiming ryan giggs is the norm. I can't think of many 37 year olds who are currently making a major contribution to their teams. In fact i can't think of many 37 year old outfield players at all
As has already been stated, who would you like him to sign during a horrendous injury crisis and a closed transfer window? I give him credit for trying, it's not like he's played that many minutes. Houllier realises he is not up to big minutes and is using him sparingly.
i'm not criticising GH particulary and you're right there's not much he could do. But thats the point really. If your best option available to you is to bring in a 37 year old who hasn't played for 6 months then maybe its not an option at all. Personally i'd have stuck in someone out of position - at least they can last more than 5 minutes and aren't totally off the pace
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I know the theme has been mentioned before, but in his press conference Houllier looks EXACTLY like a bloke who's been accused of having it away with another woman. Dissembling, stuttering, mumbling, mock anger and incredulity. What, me? What on earth are you saying? Don't be so stupid. In fact, a little like this:
&feature=related
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"If you want me to apologise, I apologise. Even if I dont feel that I have done something wrong in terms of intentions" Says it all. He just dosent get it.
Apologising is one thing admiting you are wrong is different, this and his statements when he took the job remains a disgrace.
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"If you want me to apologise, I apologise. Even if I dont feel that I have done something wrong in terms of intentions" Says it all. He just dosent get it.
Apologising is one thing admiting you are wrong is different, this and his statements when he took the job remains a disgrace.
Oh get over it and move on, he didn't do a lot wrong he's said sorry now what else do you want? flowers and chocolates?
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"If you want me to apologise, I apologise. Even if I dont feel that I have done something wrong in terms of intentions" Says it all. He just dosent get it.
Apologising is one thing admiting you are wrong is different, this and his statements when he took the job remains a disgrace.
Oh get over it and move on, he didn't do a lot wrong he's said sorry now what else do you want? flowers and chocolates?
no i want him to admit he was wrong thats all
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You want too much hawkeye can't see GH issuing any further statements and imo the only thing he got wrong at anfield were his tactics - just enjoy the fact we won a game against a decent side today.
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Nobody, absolutely nobody I spoke to at the match today was overly arsed about what he did at Anfield. It has to go down as the greatest bit of internet drama queenery of all time.
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Nobody, absolutely nobody I spoke to at the match today was overly arsed about what he did at Anfield. It has to go down as the greatest bit of internet drama queenery of all time.
Me too. Too many people went OTT on Monday night with what Houllier 'did'.
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"If you want me to apologise, I apologise. Even if I dont feel that I have done something wrong in terms of intentions" Says it all. He just dosent get it.
Apologising is one thing admiting you are wrong is different, this and his statements when he took the job remains a disgrace.
Oh get over it and move on, he didn't do a lot wrong he's said sorry now what else do you want? flowers and chocolates?
no i want him to admit he was wrong thats all
Why? To make yourself feel better?
He has more history with Liverpool than Villa. It was a drama waiting to happen. It filled plenty of column inches until Newcastle provided the next crisis [and I can't decide whether to be happy or sad over their win tonight].
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I said on Monday if a former player or manager who had some success with us in the past came back to Villa I'd hope he would have some affection still for us. Football is a very emotional game, he must have felt a lot of emotions and feelings inside him walking back into Anfield.
I was more pissed off with (and have been the last few weeks) with the performances of the older and more experienced players out there on the pitch. They should be leading by example.
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Nobody, absolutely nobody I spoke to at the match today was overly arsed about what he did at Anfield. It has to go down as the greatest bit of internet drama queenery of all time.
Me too. Too many people went OTT on Monday night with what Houllier 'did'.
It's the nature of the beast. It's not just that we are all great big drama queens either it's also that if one person makes a big deal of it then it encourages others and we all whip one another into a frenzy. A kind of vicious circle of OTT rage.
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mind you, had we won, he could have kissed the Anfield sign and most people wouldn't have batted an eyelid. I think Monday was just a culmination of things capped off by a bad defeat. That's firmly in the past now, and I don't think he needs to do any more explaining. We all just need focus on getting 3 points from Wigan.
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If we'd won, he could have had it off between Sammy Lee's tits and got nothing but a polite ripple of applause
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I may be in the minority but I found his actions, and those of Pires before the Arsenal match, cringeworthy and unprofessional.
Regardless of results, I expect better from my club.
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I may be in the minority but I found his actions, and those of Pires before the Arsenal match, cringeworthy and unprofessional.
Regardless of results, I expect better from my club.
What do you consider to be 'better' - totally ignoring a display of appreciation?
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Most of the people I spoke to today felt he made a complete arse of himself on Monday.
Various pundits like Camp Lawro and other pro Redscouse talking heads also said that he overstepped the mark.
Hopefully he'll learn from it, and if it means we don't have to hear him referring to LFC again it might (might) just about be a price worth paying.
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I may be in the minority but I found his actions, and those of Pires before the Arsenal match, cringeworthy and unprofessional.
Regardless of results, I expect better from my club.
What do you consider to be 'better' - totally ignoring a display of appreciation?
No, that would be disrespectful, a cursary wave to the Kop in response the affection afforded to Houllier would have been fine without the sign touching, the misty eyed standing to attention to the Liverpool anthem, not to mention the post match comments about the defeat. He will be asked about Liverpool on a regular basis, I understand that, but a polite dismissal in favour of talking about the club that employs him would be more acceptable whereas our manager appears all too keen to wax lyrical about his former club, players and achievments. I don't believe that Hou is spitefull or ego driven, unlike DOL, but I would have hoped he had the emotional intelligence to understand the impact of his actions on Monday night.
Like Pires before him, any renewal of old freindships and nostalgic reminisence should be done in private and after completing the jobs they are paid to do.
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No, that would be disrespectful, a cursary wave to the Kop in response the affection afforded to Houllier would have been fine without the sign touching, the misty eyed standing to attention to the Liverpool anthem, not to mention the post match comments about the defeat. He will be asked about Liverpool on a regular basis, I understand that, but a polite dismissal in favour of talking about the club that employs him would be more acceptable whereas our manager appears all too keen to wax lyrical about his former club, players and achievments. I don't believe that Hou is spitefull or ego driven, unlike DOL, but I would have hoped he had the emotional intelligence to understand the impact of his actions on Monday night.
Like Pires before him, any renewal of old freindships and nostalgic reminisence should be done in private and after completing the jobs they are paid to do.
He did no more, and possibly less, than Sir Graham when he returned with Watford. In any case, it's over now and I do hope we don't keep on about it forever..
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I may be in the minority but I found his actions, and those of Pires before the Arsenal match, cringeworthy and unprofessional.
Regardless of results, I expect better from my club.
What do you consider to be 'better' - totally ignoring a display of appreciation?
No, that would be disrespectful, a cursary wave to the Kop in response the affection afforded to Houllier would have been fine without the sign touching, the misty eyed standing to attention to the Liverpool anthem, not to mention the post match comments about the defeat. He will be asked about Liverpool on a regular basis, I understand that, but a polite dismissal in favour of talking about the club that employs him would be more acceptable whereas our manager appears all too keen to wax lyrical about his former club, players and achievments. I don't believe that Hou is spitefull or ego driven, unlike DOL, but I would have hoped he had the emotional intelligence to understand the impact of his actions on Monday night.
Like Pires before him, any renewal of old freindships and nostalgic reminisence should be done in private and after completing the jobs they are paid to do.
My thoughts exactly
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No, that would be disrespectful, a cursary wave to the Kop in response the affection afforded to Houllier would have been fine without the sign touching, the misty eyed standing to attention to the Liverpool anthem, not to mention the post match comments about the defeat. He will be asked about Liverpool on a regular basis, I understand that, but a polite dismissal in favour of talking about the club that employs him would be more acceptable whereas our manager appears all too keen to wax lyrical about his former club, players and achievments. I don't believe that Hou is spitefull or ego driven, unlike DOL, but I would have hoped he had the emotional intelligence to understand the impact of his actions on Monday night.
Like Pires before him, any renewal of old freindships and nostalgic reminisence should be done in private and after completing the jobs they are paid to do.
He did no more, and possibly less, than Sir Graham when he returned with Watford. In any case, it's over now and I do hope we don't keep on about it forever..
There is a difference. Taylor had been a success at both clubs, and was rightly respected by both sets of fans having proved his credentials and his dedication to the job. I'm sure Watford fans still had faith in Taylor to do everything within his power to beat us, and knowing Taylor as some of us do, so did we.
As Sir Graham so often puts it though, it's about results and nothing else.
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Watford were 4-0 down when he was waving to us.
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whole thing probably did us some good in relation to today's match and performance. However a DOL style witch hunt against the manager at this point because of some slightly over-played affection towards his old club would be a bit daft and devisive so hopefully its put to bed
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Gnasher - the voice of reason. I am going to bed
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No, that would be disrespectful, a cursary wave to the Kop in response the affection afforded to Houllier would have been fine without the sign touching, the misty eyed standing to attention to the Liverpool anthem, not to mention the post match comments about the defeat. He will be asked about Liverpool on a regular basis, I understand that, but a polite dismissal in favour of talking about the club that employs him would be more acceptable whereas our manager appears all too keen to wax lyrical about his former club, players and achievments. I don't believe that Hou is spitefull or ego driven, unlike DOL, but I would have hoped he had the emotional intelligence to understand the impact of his actions on Monday night.
Like Pires before him, any renewal of old freindships and nostalgic reminisence should be done in private and after completing the jobs they are paid to do.
He did no more, and possibly less, than Sir Graham when he returned with Watford. In any case, it's over now and I do hope we don't keep on about it forever..
There is a difference. Taylor had been a success at both clubs, and was rightly respected by both sets of fans having proved his credentials and his dedication to the job. I'm sure Watford fans still had faith in Taylor to do everything within his power to beat us, and knowing Taylor as some of us do, so did we.
As Sir Graham so often puts it though, it's about results and nothing else.
Agreed Nev.
The Watford comparison is a duff one anyroad.
As you say, he had strong ties to both clubs over many number of years and for them to even be in the Prem that year was an achievement, as they were probably the weakest side in the playoffs.
If MON hag guided us to the CL and waived to Celtic fans on request we might have been OK with that (high fives, having a sing along with them pre game and saying he doesn't mind losing to them post game might still have been frowned upon though).
But for a new manager coming in, who still has to win over the support base and convince them he is up to the job more awareness was probably required. We're down quite a bit on recent years results wise. That hasn't entirely been of GH's making but he should have enough to contend with rather than trying to make the job more even difficult for himself.
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Can we assume he's got the message and all shut up about it now?
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Can we assume he's got the message and all shut up about it now?
There's always the "avoid this thread, which is obviously about it" option ;)
I'm confused, I can't find the door for "people who think he was well out of order, won't be persuaded otherwise, but like him, think he's a good manager and don't want to use it as a stick to beat him with, so long as he has learned something from it"
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Well yes, there is always the thread avoidance thing, but that's a last resort, don't you think? ;-) It just seems to me like it's all been said.
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Double post, sorry!
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Here's why I think it was important for Houllier not to be doing the things he did at Anfield. Please don't read it if you think we've done this to death.
Let's imagine he'd taken over at Arsenal or Man Utd, returned to Anfield, and did those things. How would it have come across then? Well, I don't think the fans of those clubs would have had to worry about it happening, because it would never have happened in that way. A slight wave, an acknowledgement, maybe, but not all the other gushing and fawning. There would have been absolute hell to pay, otherwise. Much worse than he got from us.
I think Houllier would have been under no illusion that - whether it was Arsenal or Man Utd he'd returned with - his new club would not stand for any such starry-eyed nonsense. And this is the crux of the problem. His perception was that it'd be okay to do what he did, because he returned with Villa. It was only Villa. We are not at the level of Man Utd, Arsenal or Liverpool. We're smaller than those clubs and, as such, shouldn't expect the levels of respect that the bigger clubs get. I don't for one second think that he reasoned any of this out before he went to Anfield, I think he did what he did naturally. But the feeling is there, we are a team that traditionally finished between 8th and 12th, remember. We're only Villa.
If ever we want to enjoy real sustained success, we have to, as a club, free ourselves of the 'we're only Villa' mentality. I fully believe that our many failures in the past, our inability to push on from positions of strength, our failure to win make-or-break matches, has been in part down to this psychological problem.
Think like winners, and you've got a better chance of winning. Think like losers, and you'll beat yourself before a ball has been kicked. Think like a team that will not tolerate losing habitually, and you'll bust a gut to win at all costs. At 2-0 down against Liverpool, we were already thinking we'd lost - as the manager admitted - when there was everything to play for. Neither Man Utd, Arsenal nor Liverpool would ever dream of thinking in that way.
Houllier's actions, and the subsequent internet drama-queenery, might have made him realise that - despite how Aston Villa are perceived in the media and in football generally - there are many fans out there that want to shake off the 'we're just Villa' mentality.
We're Aston Villa. We are fucking proud of that fact. And we demand that our manager - whoever he might be, whoever he's managed previously, and whoever he returns to play, with Aston Villa - respects that pride, leads by example and goes about instilling it among his players.
I suspect Messrs Rinder and McGregor might have agreed.
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Having watched his football focus interview again, I think his reaction to the continual questions concerning his lack of a 'sorry' suggests he knows he got it wrong. I do feel again from the interview he was caught unaware by the Villa fans reaction and was obviously upset by General K's comments.
On reflection he obviously and perhaps understandably has a love for Liverpool probably because of the manner of his departure and the events leading up to it. He has not yet come across as having a deep desire to be the Villa manager, or of having anything like the same idea of our greatness. But then we haven't won anything for a bloody long time, were no better than an over achieving 6th placed team before he joined so perhaps his view is the correct one.
Pity he's not the sort to convince us otherwise, with words and his record so far certainly ahsn't convinced anyone from the results.
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I think he's going to have to earn our respect again, I was in the Holte suite saturday when he came on the TV I heard a few Boo's and I noticed that no-one sang Houllier's claret & Blue army Saturday either
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Keep the results and performances coming and this will all blow over
Starting with a gutsy 3 points at Wigan please
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Here's why I think it was important for Houllier not to be doing the things he did at Anfield. Please don't read it if you think we've done this to death.
Let's imagine he'd taken over at Arsenal or Man Utd, returned to Anfield, and did those things. How would it have come across then? Well, I don't think the fans of those clubs would have had to worry about it happening, because it would never have happened in that way. A slight wave, an acknowledgement, maybe, but not all the other gushing and fawning. There would have been absolute hell to pay, otherwise. Much worse than he got from us.
I think Houllier would have been under no illusion that - whether it was Arsenal or Man Utd he'd returned with - his new club would not stand for any such starry-eyed nonsense. And this is the crux of the problem. His perception was that it'd be okay to do what he did, because he returned with Villa. It was only Villa. We are not at the level of Man Utd, Arsenal or Liverpool. We're smaller than those clubs and, as such, shouldn't expect the levels of respect that the bigger clubs get. I don't for one second think that he reasoned any of this out before he went to Anfield, I think he did what he did naturally. But the feeling is there, we are a team that traditionally finished between 8th and 12th, remember. We're only Villa.
If ever we want to enjoy real sustained success, we have to, as a club, free ourselves of the 'we're only Villa' mentality. I fully believe that our many failures in the past, our inability to push on from positions of strength, our failure to win make-or-break matches, has been in part down to this psychological problem.
Think like winners, and you've got a better chance of winning. Think like losers, and you'll beat yourself before a ball has been kicked. Think like a team that will not tolerate losing habitually, and you'll bust a gut to win at all costs. At 2-0 down against Liverpool, we were already thinking we'd lost - as the manager admitted - when there was everything to play for. Neither Man Utd, Arsenal nor Liverpool would ever dream of thinking in that way.
Houllier's actions, and the subsequent internet drama-queenery, might have made him realise that - despite how Aston Villa are perceived in the media and in football generally - there are many fans out there that want to shake off the 'we're just Villa' mentality.
We're Aston Villa. We are fucking proud of that fact. And we demand that our manager - whoever he might be, whoever he's managed previously, and whoever he returns to play, with Aston Villa - respects that pride, leads by example and goes about instilling it among his players.
I suspect Messrs Rinder and McGregor might have agreed.
Have to agree entirely.
I can get over him acting like an idiot. It's the fact that he has come in and publicly stated that he sees us as a mid-table team, despite the fact that we finished 6th the last 3 seasons, being close to the top 4, that worries me. When he took the job he said it's not as if we are Liverpool, even though we finished ahead of them last year. It's not going to happen but the sooner he is gone the better for the club.
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I would prefer that we didn't become Newcastle and gave the guy a chance to turn the situation around. It may not work out or he may just build the club a solid foundation after MON pulled the rug out from underneath it.
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I would prefer that we didn't become Newcastle and gave the guy a chance to turn the situation around. It may not work out or he may just build the club a solid foundation after MON pulled the rug out from underneath it.
Or he may just undo the solid foundation that MON had built for us.
I still say we were only signing Darren Bent away from finishing top4.
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Have to agree entirely.
I can get over him acting like an idiot. It's the fact that he has come in and publicly stated that he sees us as a mid-table team, despite the fact that we finished 6th the last 3 seasons, being close to the top 4, that worries me. When he took the job he said it's not as if we are Liverpool, even though we finished ahead of them last year. It's not going to happen but the sooner he is gone the better for the club.
How about something radical, like giving him a chance and not getting worked up about sensationalist press quotes?
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Agree, lets judge Houllier and the coaching staff on results, not words and sensationalised media spin
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I would prefer that we didn't become Newcastle and gave the guy a chance to turn the situation around. It may not work out or he may just build the club a solid foundation after MON pulled the rug out from underneath it.
Or he may just undo the solid foundation that MON had built for us.
I still say we were only signing Darren Bent away from finishing top4.
Unfortunately, we had a manager who seemed entirely incapable of signing a decent striker, despite us clearly needing one for four years.
I bet we could have had Darren Bent when he went to Sunderland. Think of the money we wasted on utter crap like Marlon Harewood.
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Have to agree entirely.
I can get over him acting like an idiot. It's the fact that he has come in and publicly stated that he sees us as a mid-table team, despite the fact that we finished 6th the last 3 seasons, being close to the top 4, that worries me. When he took the job he said it's not as if we are Liverpool, even though we finished ahead of them last year. It's not going to happen but the sooner he is gone the better for the club.
How about something radical, like giving him a chance and not getting worked up about sensationalist press quotes?
My point is that I dont really give a s*** about his press quotes...it's more the fact that he just doesnt seem right for the job.
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Have to agree entirely.
I can get over him acting like an idiot. It's the fact that he has come in and publicly stated that he sees us as a mid-table team, despite the fact that we finished 6th the last 3 seasons, being close to the top 4, that worries me. When he took the job he said it's not as if we are Liverpool, even though we finished ahead of them last year. It's not going to happen but the sooner he is gone the better for the club.
How about something radical, like giving him a chance and not getting worked up about sensationalist press quotes?
My point is that I dont really give a s*** about his press quotes...it's more the fact that he just doesnt seem right for the job.
Why don't you give him a chance?
You might be right in your suspicion, but he has hardly had a decent chance yet. It's a bit Newcastle to sack your manager under these circumstances.
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My point is that I dont really give a s*** about his press quotes...it's more the fact that he just doesnt seem right for the job.
You obviously do care about the quotes otherwise you wouldn't be harking back to ones from months ago.
In any case a dozen games, in which he's never been able to pick from a full side, and not bought a player, is a very short time to form any sort of judgement.
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I do realise it is a bit Newcastle, wanting rid of him now. I do want to give him a chacne and hope he can turn it around. The fact is though i dont have any faith in him and he has done nothing since he arrived to give me a reason to believe in him.
As for the press comments, I was referring to his comments after the Liverpool game, which make no odds to me really, his comment when he first joined did worry me though. Stating that he sees us as a 8-12th place club doesnt say much for his ambitions.
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Let's be clear, MON bailed out because he felt his job was done.He couldn't improve on what he had done. He was probably right both in terms of himself- and the players.
Houllier inherited a Club still in shock, but with the window closed and a team that had not been freshened up in the summer.
Those circumstances would have been a challenge for any manager.Some of the current angst is not about Houllier - it is about the realisation of where we are again,hope removed, with little prospect of an improvement.
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a Transitional season then and give Houllier the summer of 2011 to put his stamp on the team / club
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It's a bit slack to say he hasn't done anything so far. He's been hamstrung most of the time but I felt a real sense of excitement after we ripped Man Utd apart. If that is where he trying to get to I am happy to give him the time to try and do it.
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I've never had such a varying opinion on a manger as much as i have had with Houllier
his liverpool loving was ridiculous, but to show some balls and drop Dunne and Ireland has rewon me over
both of them are not fit to wear the shirt, and i'm glad houlliers ruthlessness was rewarded with a victory
on a side note - I signed up to this forum under the influence of alcohol iirc, so if someone could correct the appalling punctuation in my name (apostrophe and capital W) i'd be eternally grateful as its putting me off forumming ;)
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on a side note - I signed up to this forum under the influence of alcohol iirc, so if someone could correct the appalling punctuation in my name (apostrophe and capital W) i'd be eternally grateful as its putting me off forumming ;)
I'll pass it on - can't do it myself, need super admin skillz.
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on a side note - I signed up to this forum under the influence of alcohol iirc, so if someone could correct the appalling punctuation in my name (apostrophe and capital W) i'd be eternally grateful as its putting me off forumming ;)
I'll pass it on - can't do it myself, need super admin skillz.
Top man!
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*looks in the mirror, combs hair, straightens jacket and winks*
I feel like a new man.
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I feel like a new man.
With a name like Marlon's Hairy Wood, I'm not surprised.
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My point is that I dont really give a s*** about his press quotes...it's more the fact that he just doesnt seem right for the job.
You obviously do care about the quotes otherwise you wouldn't be harking back to ones from months ago.
In any case a dozen games, in which he's never been able to pick from a full side, and not bought a player, is a very short time to form any sort of judgement.
How about the report in the Independent ahead of the Liverpool game?
Last week when asked whether he had an overarching three-year plan for Aston Villa, as he did for Liverpool, he replied: "Let's survive."
What is that all about?
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My point is that I dont really give a s*** about his press quotes...it's more the fact that he just doesnt seem right for the job.
You obviously do care about the quotes otherwise you wouldn't be harking back to ones from months ago.
In any case a dozen games, in which he's never been able to pick from a full side, and not bought a player, is a very short time to form any sort of judgement.
How about the report in the Independent ahead of the Liverpool game?
Last week when asked whether he had an overarching three-year plan for Aston Villa, as he did for Liverpool, he replied: "Let's survive."
What is that all about?
I haven't got a clue and I'm not really all that fussed.
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My point is that I dont really give a s*** about his press quotes...it's more the fact that he just doesnt seem right for the job.
You obviously do care about the quotes otherwise you wouldn't be harking back to ones from months ago.
In any case a dozen games, in which he's never been able to pick from a full side, and not bought a player, is a very short time to form any sort of judgement.
How about the report in the Independent ahead of the Liverpool game?
Last week when asked whether he had an overarching three-year plan for Aston Villa, as he did for Liverpool, he replied: "Let's survive."
What is that all about?
That sort of mirrors most comments on here pre the game too and certainly post it.