Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: mrfuse on September 15, 2011, 09:22:23 AM
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http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Aston-Villa-Richard-Dunne-admits-it-was-chore-going-to-work-last-season-under-then-manager-Gerard-Houllier-article799208.html#ixzz1Xy6tLphC
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Makes me wish Dunne would stick to using his mouth for hiding doughnuts.
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Do the Mirror only interview the same Villa player and ask him the same question each week?
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Richard-Dunne-I-would-have-quit-Aston-Villa-if-Gerard-Houllier-had-stayed-article795439.html
Next week: Richard Dunne: I didn't like Houllier you know.
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Sorry Dunne but you are being a wanker.
You are a very highly paid professional doing a job that you love.
You also have a 10's of thousands of people supprting you and wanting you and the team to be great everyweek. and thats a chore !!! You didn't enjoy last season ?? !!!!
GET FUCKING REAL AND COME INTO THE REAL WORLD YOU PAMPERED, SELF OBSESSED TOSSER.
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mebbe if he hadn't been the size of a small caravan he would have enjoyed it more.
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A cousin of Richard Dunne sat next to me at the Blackburn game. Got chatting and he was saying most of the squad didn't like Houllier or McAllister and there were loads of fights in the dressing room. Apparently if Houllier hadn't left Dunne would have - hence the reason he returned from pre-season looking so fit rather than fat?
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Can't stop thinking of Mr.Houllier can he? I wonder if he dreams about him..
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I think he is actually talking in the main about the positives of working under McLeish. Which is what we want to hear.
The headline is constructed by using one sentence that he appears to have uttered.
I would only say that I would have expected someone who has been around as long as Dunne would have been a bit more careful with what he says to journalists.
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Funny that Richard, it was a bit of a chore watching you play last season as well.
Couln't care less whether he liked the manager or not, the way he acted last season was disgraceful and the sooner he leaves Villa the better.
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I think we all know what the tabloids are like:
Interviewer: Richard, did you like Houlier and McAlister?
RD: No.
Interview ends, Interviewer thinks: WOW, I can get a full back page with that!
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I think he is actually talking in the main about the positives of working under McLeish. Which is what we want to hear.
The headline is constructed by using one sentence that he appears to have uttered.
I would only say that I would have expected someone who has been around as long as Dunne would have been a bit more careful with what he says to journalists.
Precisely. If i was Dunne i'd be painfully aware that i didn't come out of last season with any credit either on or off the field and wouldn't want to rake it up or give the press a chance to rake it up. But then he comes across as a knob at the best of times
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On form there are few better centre backs around so am pleased that McLeish is now getting the he's out of him again. I'll leave all the indignation to you more sensitive types.
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Sorry Dunne but you are being a wanker.
You are a very highly paid professional doing a job that you love.
You also have a 10's of thousands of people supprting you and wanting you and the team to be great everyweek. and thats a chore !!! You didn't enjoy last season ?? !!!!
GET FUCKING REAL AND COME INTO THE REAL WORLD YOU PAMPERED, SELF OBSESSED TOSSER.
Yes, I think this is the gist of it. Would be great if someone could pass this on to lardy arse himself. It might come as a surprise to him to find out that the club is not run purely for his benefit.
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Actual quotes:-
Dunne said: "I probably would have left if Houllier had stayed.
"I spoke to Alex McLeish when he took over.
"He heard of stuff that happened at Villa last year.
"He said if we recaptured our form he wanted me and James to be his main centre backs.
"That gave us confidence right away. As soon as we got back training he was working on things defensively, asking our opinion.
"You play well he's high-fiving you and patting you on the back. If you make a mistake he tells you as well."
Without condoning his actions last year, you have to wonder how much was the fault of the managerial team when someone who is percieved as a lesser manager can come in and get so much more out of him?
So, we have a player who as poor under a manager most of us weren't fond of either and after he recaptures his form we're slagging off for saying he was unhappy?
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He's playing class this season & we knew all this shit anyway.
Nothing new here.
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It's clear that GH made the mistake of trying to change too much, too soon. When we got back to basics in the last third of the season results picked up.
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Think Houllier played the classic new broom, he wanted to change everything in the shortest possible time, I can't see to much wrong with what he's saying TBH, although i do take the point there's something very strange about a footballer that equates what he's doing to any kind of hard work, kind of makes you think just how closeted these modern footballers are from the real world.
On the upside it sounds like the squad are beginning to gel with AM, so lets see it on the field of play please, preferably on Saturday would do very nicely.
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Meh. As long as he puts the shifts in now, who cares? GH is in the past.
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It's clear that GH made the mistake of trying to change too much, too soon. When we got back to basics in the last third of the season results picked up.
Think Houllier and the plot were lost ages ago, pre Villa.
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I haven't got a problem with Dunne, he's knuckled down and got on with it now and is playing very well. Three of our current back four had problems with the management, the fourth's left the club. Whatever Houllier was trying to do last year, he managed to alienate several players - at which point do you start thinking the problem was less about the players, and more about the manager?
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Any player that doesnt like the managers etc .Should still be giving 100% .Plus should have the balls to tell him and ask to leave .If they dont wont to leave etc .They shold knuckle down and play for the fans the shirt and club and earn there wages .Like we all have to
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I haven't got a problem with Dunne, he's knuckled down and got on with it now and is playing very well. Three of our current back four had problems with the management, the fourth's left the club. Whatever Houllier was trying to do last year, he managed to alienate several players - at which point do you start thinking the problem was less about the players, and more about the manager?
If you were slagging off the players last year and can't bring yourself to admit it was really the manager's fault, then never.
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At least Dunne had the balls to speak his mind.He was good before Houllier and he's been good since Houllier.I said last season how it was funny that the supposed bad egg commanded plenty of respect from all of his previous managers.
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We have all had to work for a boss we didn't like but most of us didn't have the small matter of being paid tens of thousands of pounds a week to play football for The Villa as the upside.
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Any player that doesnt like the managers etc .Should still be giving 100% .Plus should have the balls to tell him and ask to leave .If they dont wont to leave etc .They shold knuckle down and play for the fans the shirt and club and earn there wages .Like we all have to
Which I think Dunne did last season, to be fair. His form dipped but he was picked regularly whenever fit and put the effort in. And I think he did tell the manager what he thought of the situation, hence the arguments and the fact he's admitted he would almost certainly have left the club in the summer.
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I haven't got a problem with Dunne, he's knuckled down and got on with it now and is playing very well. Three of our current back four had problems with the management, the fourth's left the club. Whatever Houllier was trying to do last year, he managed to alienate several players - at which point do you start thinking the problem was less about the players, and more about the manager?
If you were slagging off the players last year and can't bring yourself to admit it was really the manager's fault, then never.
Quite, John. I said last season how it was odd that you'd got the likes of Warnock and Collins, barely a peep of dissent out of them in their careers, suddenly coming across as bad boys. Anyway, we seem to be moving on from those days now and it's good to see more of a settled squad, and in particular a more settled defence.
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Any player that doesnt like the managers etc .Should still be giving 100% .Plus should have the balls to tell him and ask to leave .If they dont wont to leave etc .They shold knuckle down and play for the fans the shirt and club and earn there wages .Like we all have to
If I fell out with my boss there's no way I'd give 100%
Plus, Dunne couldn't leave until the summer (after Jan) & probably knew GH was going anyway.
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I don't much care what Dunne says or thinks about the previous regime that's all history. All that matters now is that he gets back to the good form he is capable of and he's showing that so far this season.
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Dunne came back unfit well before Houllier was appointed so he was bound to struggle to impress a new manager looking to stamp his mark on the team.It was just another example of player power and the number of individual agendas and griefs that Houllier had to contend with.No wonder his heart played up.
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I'm sure he will feel very at home when he moves to the US next year
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this isn't news. They interviewed Collins a couple of weeks back about the same thing. It's not remotely relevant now. Everyone knows there were problems, and both sides contributed to it. The players were lambasted and rightly so for their role, but clearly Houllier could have gone about it a different and/or better way.
What I do know if that Dunne wasn't sold. He came back from the summer in superb shape, and his form through a couple of weeks for club and country has been outstanding. In a couple fo months, AM has clearly motivated the players back to point where there is some semblance of unity in the camp. That will provide a great platform from which to build.
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As pointed out, Dunne's problems last season were of his own making. He came back from the holidays completely unfit, several weeks before Houllier and McAllister arrived. Like many people, he prefer to blame his own failings on other people. And because it is true that Dunne was poor last season; that he is much better this season; that Houllier was unsuccessful and fell out with his main defenders, Dunne can produce a plausible narrative that explains his numerous shocking performances last season and largely absolves himself of the blame. But that doesn't mean the narrative is true.
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He's not really saying anything controversial here is he? To paraphrase, "last season was shite, I didn't enjoy it. This one is shaping up to be better". Sorry to use a cliche (but it's true) the line between success and failure in the premier league is minute. Players don't go out trying to play badly, but if they're in any way whatsoever below par the standard is so unforgiving that it often results in failure. This really is where a manager earns his corn so to speak. For whatever reason, Houllier was just not quite right for this squad of players. Not his fault, not really theirs I'd argue to an extent. Misbehaving and getting pissed on a team bonding is pretty bad, but effort wasn't necessarily the problem.
He's been back to the old Dunne for the main part of this season and there isn't anybody better in the league when this is the case.
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As pointed out, Dunne's problems last season were of his own making. He came back from the holidays completely unfit, several weeks before Houllier and McAllister arrived. Like many people, he prefer to blame his own failings on other people. And because it is true that Dunne was poor last season; that he is much better this season; that Houllier was unsuccessful and fell out with his main defenders, Dunne can produce a plausible narrative that explains his numerous shocking performances last season and largely absolves himself of the blame. But that doesn't mean the narrative is true.
It wasn't just Dunne last year though was it? Gabby, playing in the same position as he is now, looked lost. This year he's back to his best. OK, he was carrying an injury for some of the last season. Delph, never got a look in, this year he's a starter and impressing. Different players suit different managers.
Dunne really doesn't strike me as being somebody who go out to perform badly. Maybe he was carrying an imjury that caused his extra poundage at the start of last year?
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You're right. Houllier's two main problems last season was his lack of pragmatism and his lack of an assistant who could bond with the players. He is an ideas man, and without someone who could explain his ideas to the players and provide him with feedback of how they reacted to his schemes, he was probably perceived as out-of-touch and aloof and not really taken seriously.
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I'm just glad Dunne is back to his best this season.
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There are a whole list of reasons why Dunne and other players did not perform last season. I think with the group of players we now have. Mcleish`s simple approach is easier for them to take on board. We do not have the technically gifted players that would of suited Houlier hence a happier and more enthusiastic team ......
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Gabby has been saying similar although much more aimed at GMac, who was clearly the bigger issue throughout.
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Gabby has been saying similar although much more aimed at GMac, who was clearly the bigger issue throughout.
It's all over the Sun website, Gabby is saying Houllier held him back for a year!
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You're right. Houllier's two main problems last season was his lack of pragmatism and his lack of an assistant who could bond with the players. He is an ideas man, and without someone who could explain his ideas to the players and provide him with feedback of how they reacted to his schemes, he was probably perceived as out-of-touch and aloof and not really taken seriously.
Plus the influence of players who had previous issues with GH....eg Warnock, Carew and Friedl to name but three who could have contributed to the atmosphere in the dressing room.
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If he thought playing was a chore, I'd say watching them play weren't much cop either. The difference is, we paid for the pleasure.
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We're four games into the season and have yet to play a team with a striker worthy of the description.
It's bit early to be declaring Dunne to be the hero and Houllier the Villain.
Both Wenger and Ferguson marked their early years by moving out the cowboys and drinkers. A few were retained (Robson & Adams), the odd one perhaps should have been (McGrath), but by and large true success came when squads of committed professionals had been assembled.
Houllier no doubt was of a similar mind. His mistake was to go for revolution rather than evolution with the main transfer window long since closed.
Houllier wasn't necessarily right, but he also wasn't necessarily wrong simply because some of the cowboys and pissheads took exception to having their cages rattled.
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From The Athletic, Stephen Ireland on Houllier:
“I’ve played for a few really, really horrendous managers,” he said. “I thought one in particular was Gerard Houllier. It baffles me how that guy has ever got a football job, and it scares me. It makes me think that I could easily be a manager if he’s doing it, my gardener could easily be a manager if he’s got a job, because I thought he was that bad.”
What did Houllier do to deserve that appraisal?
“Every team talk Gerard Houllier gave was about his time at Liverpool. He was like: ‘Come on guys, because I told Steven Gerrard and Danny Murphy this, and they went out and done this in the second half.’ I’m thinking: ‘You’re trying to get us riled up for the second half by telling us about Steven Gerrard and Danny Murphy?’ Honestly, you would see everybody giving each other the eyes.
“I didn’t think he had a clue about football. Everybody is training like maniacs to get in the team on Saturday and I remember he was four football fields away looking at the flowers and walking around with his hands behind his back. How is he picking the team on a Saturday? It’s frightening, frightening. That’s what killed me.
“He didn’t play me. He gave me bits and pieces here and there, made me play with the kids again, and I thought: ‘What the hell is going on?’ He sent me on loan to Newcastle and arghhhh… it was just like, ‘What is going on with my career?’
I know Ireland is a twat but fuck me, what a hopeless mess this club was for years.
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From The Athletic, Stephen Ireland on Houllier:
“I didn’t think he had a clue about football. ’
“He didn’t play me. ’
He clearly had at least one clue about football then. Twat.
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He sent me on loan to Newcastle and arghhhh… it was just like, ‘What is going on with my career?
In fairness, that's no way to treat a human being.
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I think a lot of footballers who played under Houllier disliked him. Even those who had a degree of success under him. He was originally a school teacher and it would appear he continued acting like a school teacher when he was a manager. He had no real career as a player and unlike Wenger and Mourinho he didn't have the personality to make up for it. On the other side of the coin we are still waiting to see how well Richard Dunne and Stephen Ireland do as managers.
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Pretty pathetic from Houllier if true.
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Houllier was just a very uninspiring appointment for me. Would've been more exciting if we'd appointed him straight after he left Liverpool but he was pretty much dragged out of semi retirement which is never a good sign to come here.
I get it was a difficult time of the season to appoint a manager (although plenty of clubs pick up decent ones mid season) but we had just finished 6th three years running. Fair enough the money tree was being cut down but we still did spend 20m on a striker three months later. I think Houllier appointment were first warning signs Lerner reign was going downhill. Minimal work scouting europe for decent manager not in a job at that point.
Haven't read all of this thread but Stephen Ireland also had his say on Houllier this week. Also add in Carew, Warnock and Friedel who'd all had issues working with him at Liverpool and Lyon and it was never going to end well.
Edit: Ah I see it was a bump this week with the Ireland stuff!
Yes our squad was in major need of surgery but you make those sort of appointments in the summer when you have time to make the changes, not with 8 months of the season still to run.
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Not surprised he was nausing our players out with the fawning Redscouse chat. I was pretty sick of it after a month.
Maybe there's still a role for him up there.
Mascot or summat.
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I think a lot of footballers who played under Houllier disliked him. Even those who had a degree of success under him. He was originally a school teacher and it would appear he continued acting like a school teacher when he was a manager. He had no real career as a player and unlike Wenger and Mourinho he didn't have the personality to make up for it. On the other side of the coin we are still waiting to see how well Richard Dunne and Stephen Ireland do as managers.
Wenger played top flight football or Strasbourg (only a few times though, I think), which is a different thing entirely from Mourinho.
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Houllier started the Liverpool wanking in his press conference after we appointed him when he started telling a French journalist the job wasn't on the level of Liverpool, the ******.
And then there was that tapping the badge at Anfield.
Honestly, what a ******.
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This sounds pretty damning, but then Stephen Ireland is quite possibly the biggest wanker who ever played for Aston Villa.
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This sounds pretty damning, but then Stephen Ireland is quite possibly the biggest wanker who ever played for Aston Villa.
That’s quite an accolade. He has some serious competition over recent years !
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This sounds pretty damning, but then Stephen Ireland is quite possibly the biggest wanker who ever played for Aston Villa.
It's possible for two people not to get along and for both of them to be massive twats. See Donald Trump and John Bolton, for instance.
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This sounds pretty damning, but then Stephen Ireland is quite possibly the biggest wanker who ever played for Aston Villa.
It's possible for two people not to get along and for both of them to be massive twats. See Donald Trump and John Bolton, for instance.
David O'Leary and Tony Cascarino, if we wanted to widen it to encompass global significance.
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I'd trust anything Stephen Ireland says about as much as one of the current politicians in Westminster.
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This sounds pretty damning, but then Stephen Ireland is quite possibly the biggest wanker who ever played for Aston Villa.
Didn’t he get voted player of the year?
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I think certainly after our circumstances declined further, there was a little bit of revisionism about the Houllier season, with some fans saying what a decent job he'd done. Well, he didn't. That season was crap until Bent came in.
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I seem to remember rumblings about relegation setting in while Houllier was running the team.Then as soon as he had the health problems and that football managing magician Gary McAllister took over, we lost maybe 1 of our last 8, going from something like 16th in the league to 9th. Suggests to me that the quality in the squad was much better than the league position suggested when Houllier was managing them and he was indeed a waste of space and a complete and utter c***.
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It's been forgotten now, but there was a performance against Sunderland in the New Year where Heskey got sent off, and when they scored their winner the whole of Villa Park sang "you're getting sacked in the morning" at him. Then we signed Bent and managed a bit of momentum. 9th was a false position - winning at Arsenal made us safe but on paper that was an horrific run-in.
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I seem to remember rumblings about relegation setting in while Houllier was running the team.Then as soon as he had the health problems and that football managing magician Gary McAllister took over, we lost maybe 1 of our last 8, going from something like 16th in the league to 9th. Suggests to me that the quality in the squad was much better than the league position suggested when Houllier was managing them and he was indeed a waste of space and a complete and utter c***.
Were 14th and one point off the bottom 3 going into April of that season after losing at home to Wolves.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/9425547.stm
Was very little between many of the teams, think Blackpool went down with 39 points in the end. 9th was a very flattering final finishing position for us. Improbably won our final two away to Arsenal and at home to Liverpool and even then think Newcastle being 3 up yet drawing 3-3 at home to West Brom meant both teams somehow finished below us on the final day.
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Look at that Wolves side. Bunch of absolute hod carriers. Losing at home to that shower should have been an instant sacking. I remember in the Bartons we were all convinced we were down after that. Little did we know we'd have another five years of suffering to endure, first.
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Look at that Wolves side. Bunch of absolute hod carriers. Losing at home to that shower should have been an instant sacking. I remember in the Bartons we were all convinced we were down after that. Little did we know we'd have another five years of suffering to endure, first.
That final day was crazy, thankfully we weren't part of it but can remember barely watching half of the Liverpool game and just scanning at the live table on my phone. Wolves were 3 down to Blackburn and still staying up, they got back to 2-3 and were then in 18th. SHA got to 1-1 at Spurs and were 14th before eventually taking the plunge.
Get the feeling this season will be like that, will be very close between whoever are the bottom 8 teams this season I think.
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It's been forgotten now, but there was a performance against Sunderland in the New Year where Heskey got sent off, and when they scored their winner the whole of Villa Park sang "you're getting sacked in the morning" at him. Then we signed Bent and managed a bit of momentum. 9th was a false position - winning at Arsenal made us safe but on paper that was an horrific run-in.
I remember that.
It was a midweek game. It was - even taking into account the shitness of the following six or seven years - one of the most inept home performances I've ever seen.
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We finished 9th as over a 38 game season we were the 9th best team. Doesn't matter when the points were won. No one says, well apart from probably Stuart, that 5th last season was a false position despite us spending nearly the entire season lower than that.
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We finished 9th as over a 38 game season we were the 9th best team. Doesn't matter when the points were won. No one says, well apart from probably Stuart, that 5th last season was a false position despite us spending nearly the entire season lower than that.
I accept your point about the bottom line being where you finish, but our finishing position of 9th did not tell the story of our season. We were struggling for most of the season until the run in when we picked up points and other results went for us. I am not the only one who thought the Wolves result in particular suggested we would struggle to stay up.
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Neither did finishing 5th last season, hardly tells that we couldn't win for months.
We were often shit under Houllier, the Wolves game was truly awful, but we also had the worst run of injuries I can ever remember and we've had some spells over the years. But just like last season, players back and new signings meant we looked a lot better, why is one a false position and the other isn't? That's more my point rather than claiming we often weren't crap.
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That season must be the most picked-over and analysed of all time. It must also be the only season where a team's supporters will argue until they're blue in the face that they should have finished lower.
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This sounds pretty damning, but then Stephen Ireland is quite possibly the biggest wanker who ever played for Aston Villa.
Didn’t he get voted player of the year?
Yes, after he played well in an away win against Chelsea and for about half an hour in a defeat at home to Arsenal... It was under Mcleish so it was either a piss take or us hoping collectively that a player of the year award would coax out a few more appearances where he actually broke into a sprint.
It didn't work, so no surprise we didn't do the same for N'zogbia.
Ireland had plenty of chances and was shit. He can blame whoever he likes for how crap he was at Villa but I've a feeling he'll find the real culprit in his mirror.
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This sounds pretty damning, but then Stephen Ireland is quite possibly the biggest wanker who ever played for Aston Villa.
Didn’t he get voted player of the year?
Yes, after he played well in an away win against Chelsea and for about half an hour in a defeat at home to Arsenal... It was under Mcleish so it was either a piss take or us hoping collectively that a player of the year award would coax out a few more appearances where he actually broke into a sprint.
It didn't work, so no surprise we didn't do the same for N'zogbia.
Ireland had plenty of chances and was shit. He can blame whoever he likes for how crap he was at Villa but I've a feeling he'll find the real culprit in his mirror.
McLeish, Ireland and N'Zogbia mentioned in one post. I had done my best to forget about all three of them. Somebody take my belt and shoelaces off me before I top myself.
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I'll accept Houllier was a cock, and loved Liverpool, a career that literally nearly killed him. But the last person I'm believing on anything is Stephen Fucking Ireland the lazy wanker. So how about all the other places he failed at? Were all of other managers shit too? Before slamming others, especially a manager who achieved quite a bit in the game, take a look in the mirror Stephen.
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This sounds pretty damning, but then Stephen Ireland is quite possibly the biggest wanker who ever played for Aston Villa.
Didn’t he get voted player of the year?
Yep, but you would never know it based on comments on here.
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It's been forgotten now, but there was a performance against Sunderland in the New Year where Heskey got sent off, and when they scored their winner the whole of Villa Park sang "you're getting sacked in the morning" at him. Then we signed Bent and managed a bit of momentum. 9th was a false position - winning at Arsenal made us safe but on paper that was an horrific run-in.
A v young Jordan Henderson involved in the sending off I recall
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Winning POTY that season is hardly a ringing endorsement, our second highest league scorer had 4 goals. That's like being the tallest man in Lilliput.
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That season must be the most picked-over and analysed of all time. It must also be the only season where a team's supporters will argue until they're blue in the face that they should have finished lower.
I think we jumped 5 or 6 places on the final day. 9th isn’t bad overall but it just felt a false position based on how inept we had been over the whole season. But as they say, the table never lies
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I honestly think that season under McLeish pushes the relegation season for the most abject, we got more points but to take what was still a big part of a top 6 squad and park the bus home and away for an entire season was fucking horrible. He might have been a nice guy but he's the worst manager we've appointed in the last 30 odd years that I've been following the game, I can't think of a single thing that he did that was good for us. It was so fucking abject that we begged for Lambert.
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That season must be the most picked-over and analysed of all time. It must also be the only season where a team's supporters will argue until they're blue in the face that they should have finished lower.
I think we jumped 5 or 6 places on the final day. 9th isn’t bad overall but it just felt a false position based on how inept we had been over the whole season. But as they say, the table never lies
Last season we had a run of 2 wins in 13 and another of 2 wins in 14. 4 wins from 27 league games, so how is 5th not false as we were mediocre to shit and midtable for a lot of the season?
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I honestly think that season under McLeish pushes the relegation season for the most abject, we got more points but to take what was still a big part of a top 6 squad and park the bus home and away for an entire season was fucking horrible. He might have been a nice guy but he's the worst manager we've appointed in the last 30 odd years that I've been following the game, I can't think of a single thing that he did that was good for us. It was so fucking abject that we begged for Lambert.
I was incredibly underwhelmed by the McLeish appointment to say the least and obviously I wasn't the only one. Even though he won the Carling Cup how can you get Small Heath relegated and then walk into the Villa job? I tried to take some consolation in the fact he had done a reasonable job at Motherwell, Hibs, Rangers and Scotland but as much as I wanted him to succeed for Villa (and to stick it to the noses) it quickly became obvious it was not going to work out.
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Along with thinking the manager of Shrewsbury is better than your current European Cup winning manager it remains the dumbest thing i've known Villa do in my 40+ years.
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Along with thinking the manager of Shrewsbury is better than your current European Cup winning manager it remains the dumbest thing i've known Villa do in my 40+ years.
When we appointed the Shrewsbury manager (I still hate saying his name) I thought we had appointed a Doug puppet. By the time we got rid I thought he was a total Muppet.
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We'd have been better appointing a sock puppet. In both cases.
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Along with thinking the manager of Shrewsbury is better than your current European Cup winning manager it remains the dumbest thing i've known Villa do in my 40+ years.
I remember when McLeish happened the sheer sense of disbelief both as the rumours were emerging and of course the appointment itself. It was one of those "nah, it can't be" moments. Yet I can only imagine had the internet existed in 1984 that it would have been a thousand times worse with the arrival of Turner.
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Along with thinking the manager of Shrewsbury is better than your current European Cup winning manager it remains the dumbest thing i've known Villa do in my 40+ years.
I remember when McLeish happened the sheer sense of disbelief both as the rumours were emerging and of course the appointment itself. It was one of those "nah, it can't be" moments. Yet I can only imagine had the internet existed in 1984 that it would have been a thousand times worse with the arrival of Turner.
If I remember correctly news of the appointment of McLeish slowly filtered through on a Sunday afternoon and H&V became a rolling news station to rival SKY and CNN.
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This is where McLeish started being mentioned more and more http://www.heroesandvillains.info/forumv3/index.php?topic=43650.5430
And when he resigned at the sty http://www.heroesandvillains.info/forumv3/index.php?topic=43650.5505
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I think the lad on VT who spots planes had the first inkling, as he saw that Randy’s plane was in Italy where TSM was on holiday.
I’ll also never forget Krulak’s “Imagine how great he’ll be with Randy’s backing!!”
Spoiler: Turns out not that great.
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I’ll also never forget Krulak’s “Imagine how great he’ll be with Randy’s backing!!”
That's the very quote I remember, too.
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This is where McLeish started being mentioned more and more http://www.heroesandvillains.info/forumv3/index.php?topic=43650.5430
And when he resigned at the sty http://www.heroesandvillains.info/forumv3/index.php?topic=43650.5505
This one made me laugh, well, you have to laugh now don't you?
"Its not bad news, its just a bookie's odds.
McLeish isnt going to be Villa manager any more than Barbara Streissand.
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Christ, reading that brings back some horrible memories.
A couple of crackers from Mr Walnuts:
His favoured 10-0-0 formation is going to go down an absolute storm. I still don't believe they'd be that stupid, but if they were, then really, they deserve all they get.
So, two weeks ago, all the talk of Ancelotti and Benitez and co.
Now, we're looking at McLeish, having been turned down by Wigan's manager?
That's a bit like trying to shag Megan Fox but ending up in bed with Sonia from Eastenders.
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This is where McLeish started being mentioned more and more http://www.heroesandvillains.info/forumv3/index.php?topic=43650.5430
And when he resigned at the sty http://www.heroesandvillains.info/forumv3/index.php?topic=43650.5505
I have just skimmed through the posts from the Sunday and Monday when the speculation over our imminent new manager centred mainly on Moyes and Hughes and then slowly diverted to McLeish despite most on here going into denial. There then follows a long drip drip of speculation, information and statements eventually ending in confirmation. Even nearly a decade later following the events on H&V makes for surreal reading today just as much as it did back then.
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That season must be the most picked-over and analysed of all time. It must also be the only season where a team's supporters will argue until they're blue in the face that they should have finished lower.
I think we jumped 5 or 6 places on the final day. 9th isn’t bad overall but it just felt a false position based on how inept we had been over the whole season. But as they say, the table never lies
It dosen't but every club will have a season where they finish much higher than they should and then gravity kicks in the next year. In the three years under MON finishing 6th we were in the top 6 for the majority of those seasons so you knew that was the range we'd be finshing in May.
As you say in 10/11 we must've spent about five months of that season somewhere in the bottom half. Probably makes it worse when you think with the likes of Young and Downing around and Bent added mid season it was still comfortably a top 10 squad so we should've still been in the top half for most of that season.
Anyway I wouldn't say actually finishing 9th was the mutual consent decision regarding Houllier, it was more his heart putting him out of action again just after the West Ham game in April so I think it was very understandable of the club to look at the bigger picture and not put him through more stress in 11/12 season.
The collective heart rate of the Holte end then went up with McLeish being appointed!
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It doesn't really need restating, but what the fucking fuck wee they thinking when they appointed McLeish?!
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It doesn't really need restating, but what the fucking fuck wee they thinking when they appointed McLeish?!
It’s up there with why didn’t Barry take the penalty for me.
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It doesn't really need restating, but what the fucking fuck wee they thinking when they appointed McLeish?!
It’s up there with why didn’t Barry take the penalty for me.
But not as hilarious
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Has any other PL club appointed a manager that has just been relegated?
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Martinez relegated with Wigan in 2013, appointed Everton manager a week later.
Like TSM he also won a domestic trophy that season.
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Houllier has always been a wanker who takes plaudits when he wins and points at others when he fails.