Houllier confirmed as new manager. Press Conference p22

[BannedUserIAT]

Good luck Gerard! Hopefully you can bring us some of the success you have had with teams in the past...

Woah...just seen his quote. What a fucking idiot. You don't say that when you just join a club. DOL Pt.2?

"Let's be objective and honest, it is a club which, for me, finds itself between seventh and twelfth place. It is above all a historic club, which has won the European Cup. It is a club which a very good set up, a good team, and which demands just one thing: to progress year on year". Why choose a mid table English club after having tasted a higher level in the past? "I had other offers, but this seemed to me the most interesting in terms of environment, of work conditions"

Which part of what he said makes him a "fucking idiot"?

The likeliness that we'll finish between 7th and 12th? It's where I'd put my money.
A historic club? Absolutely, we're very very proud of our history.
Won the European Cup? Yep, and proud of that, too.
A good set up? Yep.
A good team? Potentially, yes.
Would like to see year on year improvement? Of course we would. MON stalled at this point and fucked off so it's time for someone else to have a bash.
Suitable working conditions and environment? Not a bad comment from a bloke who's been there, done that and had other offers to do it again.

So, which part makes him a fucking idiot?

[not3bad]

If he thinks Villa fans will ‘settle’ for 8th than he is wrong, we will all want at least a 6th place finish again

Is 8th place year on year progress from 6th?  He'd be contradicting what he said if he thought we'd settle for 8th wouldn't he?

[Brend'Watkins]

Did GH apply for the job or did we approach him?

[themossman]

it just seems like he wants another big club before he retires and this is a stepping stone !!

What, at 63?

[Witton Warrior]

Well thanks to 5Live for an underwhelming and negative piece on the appointment.
Apparently Villa fans are not as "passionate" (God how I hate that term) as Liverpool fans and most of GH's signings were "duds"

F**k you and goodnight Aston Villa

I want him to succeed because I want Aston Villa to succeed so welcome Monsieur Houllier

[Dr Butler]

Good luck Gerard! Hopefully you can bring us some of the success you have had with teams in the past...

Woah...just seen his quote. What a fucking idiot. You don't say that when you just join a club. DOL Pt.2?

"Let's be objective and honest, it is a club which, for me, finds itself between seventh and twelfth place. It is above all a historic club, which has won the European Cup. It is a club which a very good set up, a good team, and which demands just one thing: to progress year on year". Why choose a mid table English club after having tasted a higher level in the past? "I had other offers, but this seemed to me the most interesting in terms of environment, of work conditions"

Which part of what he said makes him a "fucking idiot"?

The likeliness that we'll finish between 7th and 12th? It's where I'd put my money.
A historic club? Absolutely, we're very very proud of our history.
Won the European Cup? Yep, and proud of that, too.
A good set up? Yep.
A good team? Potentially, yes.
Would like to see year on year improvement? Of course we would. MON stalled at this point and fucked off so it's time for someone else to have a bash.
Suitable working conditions and environment? Not a bad comment from a bloke who's been there, done that and had other offers to do it again.

So, which part makes him a fucking idiot?

Well said that man 

[PaulTheVillan]

Did GH apply for the job or did we approach him?

From what I've read he applied and was interviewed.

It was always going to take longer than Sven, Curbs etc as Houllier was employed by the French FA

[BannedUserIAT]

but to say 7th to 12th when we have finished 6th for the past 3 seasons running shows a complete lack of respect to what MON did and how we have progressed under Lerner.

 If he thinks Villa fans will ‘settle’ for 8th than he is wrong, we will all want at least a 6th place finish again

So a pre-season where players weren't happy with MoN, Milner unsettled then sold, rumours of Warnock and L.Young heading off (not to mention Ashley), MoN eventually having a strop and leaving a few days before the season start, a few injuries, a disaster against Newcastle, being dumped out of Europe early (which will do our confidence no good at all), Man City spending an absolute fortune again and you expect 6th again?

I don't think so. It'd be very nice, that's for sure but most fans said even before any names were mentioned for the managers job that this season will be one of transition, a season to bring through the youngsters. If we get 6th again, I'll be very very pleased indeed!

Yes, of course we all 'want' at least 6th but you state that like it's an expectation.
No offence but you're living in a fantasy world.

[themossman]

He might have misspoke a bit, probably because he feels like he's beyond trying to mollify fans. But I'd still rather have him saying that than, say, southgate telling us we're going to win the champions league.

[TimTheVillain]

Paul Faulkner:

“In fact, he stands out as a football man who understands the ethos of our club and shares our core values."

Sounds so corporate, 'core values' indeed, we're not ICI, we're in it to win it - aren't we ?


Not sure about the executive set up at AVFC.

He's an executive of a multi-million pound company. When it comes to corporate speak these days, Alan Sugar is not the role model. I'm disappointed that we didn't get something like "We have committed to assertively integrate high-quality management techniques to exceed customer expectations" whilst maybe dropping out some old favourites like paradigm shift, low hanging fruit , proactive empowerment and dynamic tipping point. It's all bovine stools these days.

Yep, I see nothing ambitious anymore - just mediocrity and solvency.

Maybe the glass is half empty at the moment.

Maybe it's 'expecation management' at the club now.

All in all, the zest for winning things seems a million miles away - again.

[Concrete John]

Houllier is an appointment I was initially shocked at and thought was wrong when first reported.  When you then take a step back and look at his record it does hold up to scrutiny and there are many things he could bring that would improve us.

I guess I'm open minded about him and look forward to seeing what he does in the job.

[BannedUserIAT]

If he thinks Villa fans will ‘settle’ for 8th than he is wrong, we will all want at least a 6th place finish again

Is 8th place year on year progress from 6th?  He'd be contradicting what he said if he thought we'd settle for 8th wouldn't he?

This is year 1 for him. Expect year on year improvement from year 2.
Given the whole commotion of pre-season and that he'll have his own ideas that won't necessarily fit with MON's 'British Only' approach that he'll have to live with for a while, he'll have to spend his first season here removing the rot that had set in during the final stages of MoN's tenure.

[Jimmy Rimmer]

Too early to start worrying about something he's reported as saying!

Fact is, he will want to win as many matches as possible. He has the experience and contacts to move us on and up.

I'm optimistic.

Welcome, Gerard. I'm sure you'll find most Villa fans will get behind you, and stay behind you.
But please be positive and creative in the transfer windows. That's what we've been missing.

[TimTheVillain]

Did GH apply for the job or did we approach him?

One for the General.

[Bosco81]

Welcome Gerard, be interesting to see what he can do with the current squad of players.

It might help everyone that he can't make any signings until January so he can assess the strength of the squad, which if a little small is still a good squad of players.

He wouldn't have been my choice but he's here now so lets see what he can do, I'm just turning into a grumpy old man now I've hit 40.