Gerard Houllier to miss Villa's next match at Stoke From Birmingham MailGERARD Houllier will not be able to kick off his Villa reign until the middle of next week – leaving caretaker Kevin MacDonald to pick the team at Stoke on Monday.
Houllier will be paraded as the claret and blues’ new boss at a press conference at Villa Park today but will not take complete control until after Villa’s next game.
The former Liverpool manager still has loose ends to tie up following his resignation from his role as technical director with the French Football Federation on Wednesday.
His absence from Monday night’s Premier League game against the Potters at the Britannia Stadium will leave MacDonald in charge of team selection for a sixth game.
The caretaker boss will meet Villa’s new manager at Bodymoor Heath this morning as part of a whirlwind day for the 63-year-old successor to Martin O’Neill.
As well as plans for the Stoke game the duo will discuss MacDonald’s future role in Houllier’s new-look coaching set-up during his first official visit to the training ground.
But Houllier will be back sorting out personal issues in his native France when Villa aim to build on two league wins and a defeat against Tony Pulis’ team on Monday evening.
Houllier will also wait until next week to formally introduce himself to Villa’s players who have today off ahead of training sessions tomorrow and on Sunday.
The unavoidable complication comes as Houllier has revealed that he turned down other jobs to replace O’Neill in the Villa Park hotseat on Wednesday.
Houllier has delivered a realistic assessment of the challenge he faces to keep Villa competing alongside the Premier League big boys.
The Frenchman insists the claret and blues have been traditionally regarded as best of the rest team in the top flight in recent seasons.
But Houllier is relishing the task of continuing the steady progress Villa have made since Randy Lerner bought the club four years ago.
“It was starting to tickle me, I really wanted to go back pitchside!” said Houllier on his desire to return to top-level club management.
“I had, of course, other proposals but this one seemed to be the most interesting to me in terms of environment and working conditions.
“Aston Villa is not a club on the same level as Liverpool, let’s be objective and honest.
“It’s a club that, according to me, has belonged between seventh and 12th place in the Premier League.
“But above all it’s a historic club which won the European Cup.
“It’s a club which has got very good infrastructure and a fine team which is only after one thing – to improve year on year,” he added.
MacDonald has so far experienced a mixed record during his temporary charge of the first team, leading Villa to Premier League home wins over West Ham and Everton and defeat at Newcastle along with a draw and loss to Rapid Vienna which resulted in the club’s Europa League exit.
