Houllier confirmed as new manager. Press Conference p22

[KevinGage]

What's the perception of GH amongst fans of other clubs over there, BE?

I assume he's still popular at Lyon, PSG and maybe even Lens. But outside of those clubs is he a bit of a Graham Taylor figure?

Well, hordes of rabid forum posters are screaming "good riddance, fuck off Pontius Pilate!", others are shrugging their shoulders, and a couple are saying "All Villa need now is Domenech as Director of football and in two years they will be "posting the key through the letterbox as they leave " (as the French say).

Sounds like a popular guy.

[OzVilla]

How strange? Page after page of apoplexy at not knowing when GH will start, a locked General's thread due to the same issue, and when it is announced there is barely a word typed.

Well it's hardly a massive coup is it.  Hooray, the Villa have managed to get permission for the man they announced as their manager to finally manage them.   

[pauliewalnuts]

Houllier has apparently confirmed that Duverne is joining.

http://www.leparisien.fr/sports/football/aston-villa-houllier-confirme-la-venue-de-duverne-comme-preparateur-15-09-2010-1069678.php

[Chris Jameson]

Good to know that we will have him after Saturdays game.

Depends whether he can get a babysitter.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

Duverne "coaching" has just been involved with a team that have lost five games in a row. Dont sound very inspiring ............

[sfx412]

Duverne "coaching" has just been involved with a team that have lost five games in a row. Dont sound very inspiring ............

Yes judging by Man Utd recent results I'm having serious doubts about that Ferguson chap too

[JUAN PABLO]

Will he be on the pitch before the Bolton game as an introduction?

Yeah,  He will be coming on the pitch in the Pope mobile ...

[villa `cross the mersey]

Duverne "coaching" has just been involved with a team that have lost five games in a row. Dont sound very inspiring ............

Stop being so negative      

(Grr ..... gotcha) - cheers VCTM

[TheTimVilla]

Will he be on the pitch before the Bolton game as an introduction?

Yeah,  He will be coming on the pitch in the Pope mobile ...

Gérard Houllier drives Montego

[peter w]

By the way, that Duverne bloke: when he had the handbags with Evra, it was his stopwatch he threw away, not his accreditation. He said he had no time for him.

Wow. How profund, and yet deeply shallow.

I picture the scene, coach at a 45 degree angle to the camera shot, balck and white, whilst homing in on the greyness around, voice-over sounding very Cantona-esque and in hushed gravelled poetic tones, I have  (emphasize) no time for you' *discards watch dramatically.

[Salsa Party Animal]

I predict a new burst up with the new Fitness coach and John Carew by end of October.

[Bad English]

Duverne "coaching" has just been involved with a team that have lost five games in a row. Dont sound very inspiring ............

He's coming as "fitness coach" (So the fat lazy bastard players are going to be doing a few extra laps of the pitch and so on).

And, for what it's worth: a fan of Arles-Avignon (commenting on a French newspaper website) wrote that Duverne was offered the manager's job there, turned it down, then decided to leave out of respect for the incompetent incumbent they were trying to oust.

[pauliewalnuts]

Duverne "coaching" has just been involved with a team that have lost five games in a row. Dont sound very inspiring ............

He's coming as "fitness coach" (So the fat lazy bastard players are going to be doing a few extra laps of the pitch and so on).

He'll throw his accreditation (or stopwatch) out of the post code, let alone the training pitch when he sees the size of Richard "Twelve Pints" Dunne.

[KevinGage]

Aye, he's got his work cut out there alright.

Disgraceful that a pro footballer can come back to pre season training that overweight and still be carrying it two months later.

[pauliewalnuts]

It is the fact he's still carrying it two months later which is most worrying.