Bright Future with M. Houllier

[ez]

I am just glad we have somebody in charge. Another couple of weeks and I would have settled for Christopher Biggins

He would have got a Lukewarm response.

[pauliewalnuts]

I watched the whole press conference yesterday and to be honest  between that and the initial one, I'm yet to hear him say anything that I didn't like. He has a very unassuming, calm style, but you know there's a hammer behind it. He's called for patience while he gets things established down there, and he'll certainly need at least 2 transfer windows to get the players in that will make significant differences. I think we ow him that. I'm very optimistic about the next few years.

Yup, it is going to take time for him to make his mark on the club, he was right to point that out in his interview.

He's not going to realistically get the chance to do much in January, as it is so hard to do business then, so I imagine this season will be very much about working with what he has, which is a more than decent starting point.

[curiousorange]

There's no substitute for winning, but I have to say when I saw his press conference yesterday I was glad to see he was still smiling and joking. Let's see that on the pitch tonight, please.

[Concrete John]

He's not going to realistically get the chance to do much in January, as it is so hard to do business then, so I imagine this season will be very much about working with what he has, which is a more than decent starting point.

When Martin came in in summer 2006 he also had very little time to recruit, so both he and the club pushed the boat out and we got 3 signings in Jan 2007, two of which were amongst his best and are still with us now.  I'm expecting something similar this time around and would be disappointed if we didn't at least get one quality player!

[eastie]

I think ged can take us further than mon but this season is about consolidating,next summer ged can begin to bring in the players he needs. I would be happy with top 8 this season.

[curiousorange]

He said yesterday he was pleased with what he had and that we already had three top class strikers so it wasn't a priority to get another in. If Gabby doesn't take the mard off his face Houllier might revise that opinion.

[BannedUserIAT]

Yep, great read ahead of tonight thanks Chris. Sounds like he sees himself as a big moderniser behind the scenes. Not being hard on KMac but it's very reassuring to have the feeling that a different level of analysis is now going on re team selection.

Correct for me. I feel that, although he's done brilliant well for the reserves, K-Mac has picked up on the way MoN did things and maybe figured that was THE way to do it.

Hopefully Houllier will drag us kicking and screaming into some modern football.

[Monty]

He said yesterday he was pleased with what he had and that we already had three top class strikers so it wasn't a priority to get another in. If Gabby doesn't take the mard off his face Houllier might revise that opinion.

I think what he means is that we have three strikers who can all, ostensibly, play as the lone man up front. Nobody really demands that you have more than three adequate goalkeepers for one position, and though it's different with strikers, if you're going to play one for most of the time there's not much need for four.

[Chris Smith]

I think ged can take us further than mon but this season is about consolidating,next summer ged can begin to bring in the players he needs. I would be happy with top 8 this season.

I'd be disappointed if we slipped to 8th. I think with the players we already have, money to spend in January and Liverpool and Everton both starting slowly we should be aiming for at least 6th. That's not to say I'll be kicking up a fuss if we don't achieve it but I will certainly not be 'happy' with 8th.

[Toronto Villa]

I think ged can take us further than mon but this season is about consolidating,next summer ged can begin to bring in the players he needs. I would be happy with top 8 this season.

I'd be disappointed if we slipped to 8th. I think with the players we already have, money to spend in January and Liverpool and Everton both starting slowly we should be aiming for at least 6th. That's not to say I'll be kicking up a fuss if we don't achieve it but I will certainly not be 'happy' with 8th.

This team has shown that it is capable of a lot more than it has displayed in the last couple of weeks. GH alluded to the consterntion that has been caused over the past month as one of the main reasons for that. The season is a very long one, and I believe that if we are lying 7th or 8th come January, we will add 1 or 2 players to freshen things up and make a real run at 6th. I certainly don't think Man City, Liverpool or Spurs are that much better than us, and all three have obstacles that will hinder their respective campaigns. The only teams in my opinion are out of reach this season are Chelsea, Arsenal and Man U. The rest are within reach if we have stability and some investment.

[olaftab]

Today is the first day of a new era at VP. Although it is unrealistic to expect us to stop talking about the previous manager as there are still too many unanswered questions it is time to stop using his departure as an excuse. Time to start looking forward, not backwards.

It is Gerard's team now. I am really excited about what he and his staff can bring to the club, the article in The Guardian today (link below) where he talks about us being too nice and creating a winning mentality is excatly what I wanted to hear.

Gerard speaks

Fully agree and well said.

[eastie]

january is never easy to sign quality players and I think the summer is more likely.

I think 8th is decent enough having inherited someone elses squad but id expect to see an improvement next season once ged has bought in some of his own players.

A cup would be the icing on the cake !

[Ads]

I agree with Chris, given how poorly the Dippers and the Bitters have started and how poor they look in general, then I see no reason why we cannot finish 6th at least.

As for January, its obviously tough to get the right players at the right price, but if we’ve opened up our horizons with regards to who we’re willing to sign, then at least we’ll have a bigger pool of players to choose from. Plus there is a minimum of £16 million to spend.

[villa `cross the mersey]

I agree with Chris, given how poorly the Dippers and the Bitters have started and how poor they look in general, then I see no reason why we cannot finish 6th at least.

As for January, its obviously tough to get the right players at the right price, but if we’ve opened up our horizons with regards to who we’re willing to sign, then at least we’ll have a bigger pool of players to choose from. Plus there is a minimum of £16 million to spend.

  Who are the "Bitters"

[D.boy]

I have kept out of the various debates about who would be our new manager etc but I feel now is a good time to give my thoughts. MON has gone, he left us high and dry at the worst possible time but it is now time to move on and put that behind us. Houllier came as a suprise but there were a lot worse names being linked with us. GH will take stock and see what improvements we need to take us forward and we need to be patient and give him a chance. From the comments he is making already he seems to be on the ball (we are in our comfort zone) and the team need to push on if we are to challenge at the top end.
I think Ash is more effective on the wing and when Ireland is fully fit he should play in the role behind the striker.
The time has come to get behind the team/club and see where the journey takes us.