Gerard Houllier

[SashasGrandad]

Or maybe Everton killed it before the move gained any sort of momentum

We seem to just resign ourselves to losing our cream

Usually prematurely!

[Toronto Villa]

Or maybe Everton killed it before the move gained any sort of momentum

We seem to just resign ourselves to losing our cream

you're not making any sense. If Arsenal made an actual bid and it was rejected by Everton we'd all know about it. There's a massive difference between Arsenal looking for a CB, and the media "suggesting" they are after Jagielka and Everton blocking an Arsenal bid the player.

[KevinGage]

Cahill, Arteta, Baines, Jagielka. They manage to hold onto players who we'd lose

I can't even remember ever seeing anyone linked to Baines and Jagielka, good players though they are.

Baines was going to Bayern Munich for £9M last week.

Well, given that today we've seen Ashley Young used as evidence we're a selling club, I'm going to use Baines as evidence that Everton are, too.

Ash will go, Baines will stay IMO
therein lieth the difference & the problem

I'm not saying it definitely won't come to pass, but what you've offered there is an imaginary difference and problem.

[pauliewalnuts]

Cahill, Arteta, Baines, Jagielka. They manage to hold onto players who we'd lose

I can't even remember ever seeing anyone linked to Baines and Jagielka, good players though they are.

Baines was going to Bayern Munich for £9M last week.

Well, given that today we've seen Ashley Young used as evidence we're a selling club, I'm going to use Baines as evidence that Everton are, too.

Ash will go, Baines will stay IMO
therein lieth the difference & the problem

Christ almighty, you really are the most miserable poster on here. You make greg look like Seattle Villain.

Therein lies what difference or what problem? Something you've got a hypothesis on?

[Monty]

I back Houllier. I think Agbonlahor's latest comments about "if I slim down I'll be physically bullied by defenders" (or words to that effect) show the problem: it's not MON's timing of departure which is his fundamental legacy, but his methods and ideas which have indoctrinated the players and left them reacting to the new methods of Houllier which, frankly, are methods which have been employed at all successful clubs across Europe since 1989 and which require a bit of work - work some of the players clearly don't want to put in. I'm not suggesting that Gabby doesn't want to put in the work (though others do suggest that), but it's indicative of an attitude of a continuing misplaced faith in MON-ness which is undermining GH's work at the club and, to be honest, these players can bugger off out of our club if they don't want to put in the work.

[hawkeye]

What Gabby hasnt worked out is that as a striker you need the muscle from the waist down, there is no need to bulk up the upper body unless he wants to play rugby

[atomicjam]

I back Houllier. I think Agbonlahor's latest comments about "if I slim down I'll be physically bullied by defenders" (or words to that effect) show the problem: it's not MON's timing of departure which is his fundamental legacy, but his methods and ideas which have indoctrinated the players and left them reacting to the new methods of Houllier which, frankly, are methods which have been employed at all successful clubs across Europe since 1989 and which require a bit of work - work some of the players clearly don't want to put in. I'm not suggesting that Gabby doesn't want to put in the work (though others do suggest that), but it's indicative of an attitude of a continuing misplaced faith in MON-ness which is undermining GH's work at the club and, to be honest, these players can bugger off out of our club if they don't want to put in the work.

Could not agree more. The biggest issue at our club is bad attitude, We need to move out those bad apples that do not give a shit and refocus those that should/do. This is Aston Villa for Christ sake, when did Carew get the idea that being away for 2 days means he is not fit! They (players) need to stop questioning and start doing.

[Monty]

What Gabby hasnt worked out is that as a striker you need the muscle from the waist down, there is no need to bulk up the upper body unless he wants to play rugby

I can think of one muscle below the waist he's probably over-exercised, in all fairness.

Seriously though, it's about skill level and movement off the ball. The best teams play football like chess, individual players making selfless runs off the ball to make room for others and so on. This is not part of MON's philosophy, unlike the rest of the football world, which means that Gabby's development in the crucial years - 19-23 - didn't include this hugely important aspect of being a striker. Shame really.

I agree AJ, Carew is probably the worst of the lazyites. He was complaining in the MON days when there was no training, and all he had to do was turn up for games occasionally. Who does he think he is, honestly.

[Villa'Zawg]

i reckon we'll get at least 10. only downside is its going to be a high points total for relegated teams this season. mebbe even 44-45

So we get to March on 29 points from 28 games,and we potentially need 16 from the final 10 games for safety?

What does Randy Lerner think when he looks at the remaining fixtures and his eye is drawn to Arsenal away and Liverpool at home as the last 2 games?

[Greg N'Ash]

well thats the risk villadawg. Seriously i can see the logic of the "GH out" lot. It makes a lot of sense. I can't argue with a lot of it

BUT

a)the names put forward are either shit or unrealistic IMO

b) a new manager would mean ripping up the plans for this transfer window which is where Houllier came in

c) it just seems wrong after so short a period in the job

The bottom line is if you sack GH  you'll have to get a better manager in who will get the best out of what we have now with probably no reinforcements. And that seems less logical to me than sticking with him (at the moment, ask me again in feb).

[old man villa fan]

What Gabby hasnt worked out is that as a striker you need the muscle from the waist down, there is no need to bulk up the upper body unless he wants to play rugby

I was listening to the cricket the other day and Shane Warne was talking about Chris Tremlett when he was at Hampshire.  He was saying that Tremlett was spending too much time in the gym working on his upper body strength.  He advised him to reduce that work as it was putting additional strain on his lower body.  Tremlett followed the advice and is now realising the potential that experts thought he had when he was younger.

Looking at Gabby, he certainly can hold off defenders better but I would say that his turning is not as quick as it was i.e. he has lost his agility.  For years Gabby has had a body that was in balance (natural body build that had slowly developed in his youth) as he had not been doing sustained exercises to change it.  He has been bulking up and this will have changed his centre of gravity slightly.  I am not an expert but has this had an effect on how he plays.

[eastie]

Ultimately whether we think houllier should stay or go it seems randy has decided to back him and as villa fans we must stick together and get right behind the team in these troubled times- houllier seems to have identified the bad eggs and will hopefully get them out of the club- the chants of fuck off houllier heard at man city will not do our club any favours if repeated.

We are like it or not in a relegation fight at the moment and need to stick together and help the club out of it- the time for recrimations will come in the summer if we are still in a mess , but remember we are also only a couple of wins off the top 8 ,So all is not lost.

[Chris Smith]

What Gabby hasnt worked out is that as a striker you need the muscle from the waist down, there is no need to bulk up the upper body unless he wants to play rugby

Tell that to Wayne Rooney and Didier Drogba.

[PaulTheVillan]

I know he's been injured for a while, but are we still waiting for Gabbys first league goal of the season?

[brian green]

Peter Crouch has no bulk of any kind on any part of his body yet he is one of the most effective goal poachers in the game.   Heskey has more bulk in his ear lobes than Crouch has in his whole body but is never off the injury list.  Crouch has muscles and sinews of whipcord  Heskey has muscle and sinew of toffee crisp.   If it keeps Gabby happy and settled let him do what he feels comfortable doing.   A happy player is a better player than an unhappy one regardless of his muscle to body weight ratio.