Gerard Houllier

[Greg N'Ash]

Always the same init. massive injuries - houllier's fault. Dunne out of shape - Houllier was sending him pies in the post in August. TBF i don't think he got the starting line up right against spurs but mebbe NRC isn't fit. i Just think sacking a guy who's had no chance of stamping his mark on the squad is wrong - he's been playing catch-up since he arrived.  Whatever happens, i take a very dim view of some of the senior player's contributions this season, whether they dislike the new manager or not. Even if GH got the push and someone else got them performing i'd want them out now.

[dl9]

Having driven up from London on Sunday as I do for all matches, the topic of conversation on the way home was how funny it was watching bits of snow falling from the top of the roof in the Trinity down onto the dugout, at times narrowly missing McAllister, Redknapp or Joe Jordan.
I mention this as to spend the hour and a half getting depressed by mugging off Houllier and Pires would only take me back to the DO'L era so I'm putting a brave face on it all.
I'm not really bothered if there's snow on the roof at Eastlands as this one's a tad too far for me for a night match - however with Chelsea coming up soon I'll need some entertainment of the snow falling variety to keep me positive.

[Mattwall]

He's theWrong man for the job Martin jol is the man we need I would give him the transfer window to see if he can do it

[glasses]

I have mentioned this before, after the noses home game I think. From what I see, he is trying to get the existing players to play a different style of football. A style in which the players we have are incapable of playing. He wants us to keep possession of the ball in all areas of the pitch. Our defence last season, were under the instructions, that you mark your men from set peices, and clear your lines at the earliest opportunity also in open play. This was effective, as we had one of the best defences in the league, but it at times, brought us under more pressure, because the ball retention was poor. The ball would be cleared to safety in any old direction, and the rest of the team would chase the ball. The ball bypassed our midfield in general.

This season, it appears the defence has been instructed totally differently. From set peices, we seem to be marking zonally (see Nasri's goal, and Spurs tried it too, nobody picking the men up on the edge) In open play, they seem like they have been asked to get the ball down, and pass the ball more and retain possession. This has resulted i several mistakes, and I think is why we have been leaking goals.

We have started every game, apart from Spurs, with one striker, unless im mistaken. This is ok if you have players playing behind any style of striker, who pass and move quickly, and support the striker in attacks. Our players are like statues in possession. Watch the Spurs game again, and see how much better they moved the ball, and wanted it back straight away. None of our players appeared to want the ball and be inventive with it. It seemed as soon as someone had it, the pass to another player has to be inch perfect every time, because everone was standing still. I have played a bit before, and as far as im concerened, its easier to pass a ball to someone who is moving for you, than standing there like a statue. They are too easily marked for a start.

Im getting sick and tired of people going on about how our football has improved since last season. It hasn't. We are not playing pass and move football, we are playing passing football, and retaining possesion in ineffective areas of the pitch. The best football we have played this season is when we have been more direct, and played in the style the players are familiar with. In my opinion, he should have stuck with what we knew. I like how he has rotated the players, but we could have got points on the board by playing the high intensity stuff we were playing last year, and he should have waited until next week to change the style gradually, whilst bringing in his own players that can do the stuff the existing ones cant.

[brian green]

Glasses. that is one of the best and most pertinent posts I have ever read on here.   What you describe as passing to statues is what I call the NRC syndrome.   Stand still and the opponent coming at you at pace either robs you or forces a bad pass.

Go to the top of the class.

[glasses]

Cheers Brian. Perhaps I have a soft spot for NRC, but I think its unfair to single him out. He wasnt even on the pitch against Spurs. It has been the same for years. I should have added to my post, that the only player I see in our squad at the moment, who wants the ball at every opportunity, and wants to try something inventive, is Ashley Young. A player who a good few feel will be a good thing if we sell him. Ive made my feelings perfectly clear on the transfer thread about this, and I feel I was vindicated against Spurs. The thought of a team without players like him scares the shit out of me.

[Greg N'Ash]

Aye. Selling Young in January would be really really daft IMO.

[themossman]

Always the same init. massive injuries - houllier's fault. Dunne out of shape - Houllier was sending him pies in the post in August. TBF i don't think he got the starting line up right against spurs but mebbe NRC isn't fit. i Just think sacking a guy who's had no chance of stamping his mark on the squad is wrong - he's been playing catch-up

Always the same init. massive injuries - houllier's fault. Dunne out of shape - Houllier was sending him pies in the post in August. TBF i don't think he got the starting line up right against spurs but mebbe NRC isn't fit. i Just think sacking a guy who's had no chance of stamping his mark on the squad is wrong - he's been playing catch-up since he arrived.  Whatever happens, i take a very dim view of some of the senior player's contributions this season, whether they dislike the new manager or not. Even if GH got the push and someone else got them performing i'd want them out now.

I agree, and they did fuck all for supposed player's choice K Mac.

Houllier is trying to change they way we play football in a fundamental way. I think we all want us to play a more current and attractive form of the game, but i just feel the process of going backwards before we go forwards is harder than I thought.

[TopDeck113]

Good post, Glasses.

In a nutshell, I think what you're saying is Houllier is trying to impose on a squad of players who were bought and coached to do one job, a style of play that they are perhaps incapable of achieving.  In other walk of life, trying to get your employees to perform in a particular way when they haven't got the necessary skills would be considered piss-poor management.

[Greg N'Ash]

mebbe topdeck but you'd have to say if you have a squad that someone's paid 50-60+m for, the least you'd expect is they know how to pass.

[Linus]

it's not knowing how to pass, it's being out-passed

[garyshawsknee]

Well done Glasses,you got it spot on. Until he gets in players who are comfortable in possesion,we're not gonna be able to change our style that much. If he gets in a couple of young French lads this will help as they have that culture. At the minute we have Bannan who can do that,thats why the decision to play Hogg and Delph was a strange one the other day.

 Our best performance of the season was the Utd game,and we played a high tempo of closing them down,and attacking at pace out wide with Ash,Gab and Marc,like we did at our best under M'ON.

[Greg N'Ash]

it's not knowing how to pass, it's being out-passed

dunno. looking at our squad there are players who can cope with the ball on the floor. Young, Downing, some of the kids, even Heskey. Even someone like NRC who's not renowned for his passing, played in the correct formation, ie winning the ball and giving it to someone good could contribute. He did that very well in his first season with us. you don't need a team full of superb passers to play a passing game

[Legion]

The lack of movement off the ball is also a concern for me.

[LeeB]

I'm fully behind Houllier, but the selection of Pires against Arsenal, and Delph the other day does worry me a little. I don't think those kind of risks are really necessary when we find ourselves up against the wall in terms of league postion.

They're the kind of decisions I'd expect of a young manager struggling to cope with pressure, not someone with the experience of Houllier.