The replacement for MON...?

[pauliewalnuts]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/sep/03/gerard-houllier-aston-villa

Director of Football, they say.

*eyes Betfair and Ladbrokes nervously*

[dave.woodhall]

Story breaking all over the net , somebodys leaked  it- houllier is our man folks!

I get the impression the whole of Fleet Street (Villa correspondents division) are going with this for tomorrow. 

[omariqy]

I got 10/1.  Wonder if they will pay out if he is director of football.

[Gregorys Boy]

If he comes in he comes in as a manager non of thi director of football biz!

[midnite]

http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/news/2010/08/29/look-hou-s-back-gerard-houllier-on-standby-for-aston-villa-job-if-kevin-macdonald-flops-again-102039-22520794/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/sep/03/gerard-houllier-aston-villa

[usav]

Can someone give me an example of the Director of Football role working well, anywhere?

[Ads]

I don’t know how I feel about Houllier. I’m neither excited nor bricking it. I really cannot remember what sort of football Liverpool played under him, but I do remember him wasting a lot of cash and having some dodgy finishes by Liverpool’s standards. By the same token, I also remember him winning quite a lot and having some really good finishes by Liverpool’s modern standards.

I’m airing on the side of optimistic, because for all his faults, at least he knows his business at the right end of the Premier League, whether he takes us higher than O’Neill obviously remains to be seen.

[dave.woodhall]

I've put money on Houllier.

Your own money?

Of course.

[midnite]

Going by the guardian they're calling it as Houllier as DOF and KM as manager

[Ads]

If Houllier does come in as a Director of Football, or at least the man to oversee the establishment of an extensive scouting network and deal with transfer targets, then I guess we can take it that one of the men who had Randy’s ear was Sir Graham.

[Monty]

No of couse I am not suggesting than their is no other options inbetween Moyles, Jol etc and the rest, but based on his track record in the PL and again who we realiscally will be able to get then I think we could do far worse.  After all I do think having recent experience in this league is important.

Actually it's never been less important for a coach to have had experience in a league, especially the Premier League in fact. Every facet of the English game is broadcast, watched and scrutinised in impossible detail worldwide. Ideas, tactics, training methods etc can get around a coaching community quicker than ever before. The only important thing is to speak the language.

[eastie]

Kmac as coach , not manager!

[KevinGage]

Do me a favour Kevin how can you say Sven would be a better appointment than Curbsley.  For starters he would only stick around for about a year maybe two tops, which would then leave us back in the same spot.   Add to this the fact than he would not get the sort of money he is to, to spend and the fact that since leaving the England job he has been damaged goods [bar the year at City maybe], then it would be one of the worse signings we could make.

No of couse I am not suggesting than their is no other options inbetween Moyles, Jol etc and the rest, but based on his track record in the PL and again who we realiscally will be able to get then I think we could do far worse.  After all I do think having recent experience in this league is important.

This is effectively all redundant (a bit like Curbs) if it is Houllier as reports suggest.  But I don't see how you can even compare Sven's track record to Curbishley's.

Sven is one of the most successful managers in Europe, with contacts across the globe. Recently he's become adept at the short stay carpark approach to football, but that hasn't always been of his making. He took on the project at Citeh in good faith and looked to be making decent progress there.

He was also manager of England for five years.

Curbs has managed Charlton and West Ham. To mid-table (at best).

If Sven was offered the stability of 3-4 years it wouldn't automatically follow that he'd get bored and be off in 12 months. He has had longevity in other roles.

[PeterZ]

getting interesting, time to de-lurk !

dave, do you think Houliier is being lined up as DOF / technical director with KMD manager ?

or will Houllier be the manager ?

[Yossarian]

I'd like to believe that we are going to try and copy the Lyon model, hence the appointment of Houllier.