Breaking news on ssn - Houllier job safe

[Fergal]

His job is safe because it will cost a fortune to sack him 4 months into a contract. Someone will have to remind me, but was it 3 years? Brilliant, just brilliant whoever negotiated that.

If he keeps us up this season, I still want someone else in the summer. But I can guess what will happen.

Randy should pay for this mistake before it costs him and us a damn sight more...

[Eigentor]

Sack Houllier, and then what?

A top manager would certainly be suspicious of joining a club who treats a well-respected (in the game) manager so shabbily.

A decent manager with Premiership experience would most likely believe that he deserves a three-year contract. (As that will at least guarantee a massive payoff if he, too, were to be sacked after four months.)

And that leaves two alternatives: hiring from within (KMac would probably be puzzled if he was offered another interim) or hiring someone from the lower division with no Premiership experience at all.

[Simba]

Andy, you should do a poster for the new movie that's coming out from Pinewood Studio:

CARRY ON DOWN THE VILLA

[Risso]

Sack Houllier, and then what?

A top manager would certainly be suspicious of joining a club who treats a well-respected (in the game) manager so shabbily.

What utter, utter nonsense.

Did Spurs struggle to appoint a top manager after they sacked Ramos?  Have Man City had any such problems?  Chelsea?  Bolton?  Top managers want three things.  A decent club to work at, money to spend and a chance to enhance their reputation.  If you think they give a stuff about who came before them you're sorely mistaken. 

And how would sacking him be treating him shabbily anyway.  Houllier has been a complete and utter dismal failure.  The football has been largely terrible, the results even worse, and he's pissed off a large section of the players and the supporters.  It's hard to imagine how he could have performed any worse than he has.

[saunders_heroes]

Sack Houllier, and then what?

A top manager would certainly be suspicious of joining a club who treats a well-respected (in the game) manager so shabbily.

What utter, utter nonsense.

Did Spurs struggle to appoint a top manager after they sacked Ramos?  Have Man City had any such problems?  Chelsea?  Bolton?  Top managers want three things.  A decent club to work at, money to spend and a chance to enhance their reputation.  If you think they give a stuff about who came before them you're sorely mistaken. 

And how would sacking him be treating him shabbily anyway.  Houllier has been a complete and utter dismal failure.  The football has been largely terrible, the results even worse, and he's pissed off a large section of the players and the supporters.  It's hard to imagine how he could have performed any worse than he has.

Well said Risso. As if any manager would refuse a job because they sacked the previous manager was an abject failure. What utter shit.

[WikiVilla]

Relegation will cost the club what £40 - 50M ?? maybe more if we're down for a few seasons

A £1m pay off to Houllier and his inept assistant looks loose change by comparison

[Billy Walker]

Today starts the mental preparation for life in the Championship.

Hopefully we get lucky, and a few of the sides around us plummet.

Failing that, maybe it won't be so bad.

New away days, new adventures and with a bit of luck we might get re-acquainted with that big pot that Dennis Mortimer last picked up in the old First Division.

Getting relegated is not an option.  Please tell me, Kevin, that this is tongue-in-cheek?  If the fans start getting this losing, defeatist attitude with the best part of half a season to play for then that's a large part of Aston Villa on the slide.  All of us have to step up, be positive and get the club winning again.  This is our one hundredth year of top flight football!  Relegation is NOT happening!  It's time for us all to draw a line in the sand, dig deep and scrap our way out of this.  We need seven wins: we can get them.

[Holtenderinthesky]

No it's ok!  Cos we have signed Kyle Walker!  Disgraceful.

Why is Walker that bad?

Not seen him play in a Villa shirt so I wondered where your knowledge of him comes from ?

My point is that our predicament requires more than Spurs' reserve team players coming in.  Where are the marquee signings?  The big names?  Ther ones that everyone expected as being different to those that MON would have signed?  I'm sorry but no matter what you may think about this lad he is not going to lift the club/fans one bit. 

[lovejoy]

Why does this thread have 4 pages? The club has said he's safe so he's safe. Lets work out how we can get out of this mess with the existing management.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

Saturdays defeat will be the end.

[SteveD]

I didn't expect Houllier to be sacked after last night but he must be on borrowed time and I'd be amazed if the club haven't got plan B ready. The January transfer window will not determine whether we stay up or not; whether Houllier signs two, three or six players, it's about what he does in terms of rallying and organising the existing squad which will make a difference. It depends on bottle - and the bottle of the teams around us, who apart from West Ham seem to have some fight.

Relegation is unthinkable and I'd reckon Houllier has to show some serious improvement (and points) from SHA away and Man City or Lerner/Faulkner won't have much option.

[Olneythelonely]

No it's ok!  Cos we have signed Kyle Walker!  Disgraceful.

Why is Walker that bad?

Not seen him play in a Villa shirt so I wondered where your knowledge of him comes from ?

My point is that our predicament requires more than Spurs' reserve team players coming in.  Where are the marquee signings?  The big names?  Ther ones that everyone expected as being different to those that MON would have signed?  I'm sorry but no matter what you may think about this lad he is not going to lift the club/fans one bit. 

It's January 6th for Christ's sake.

[achilles]

Personally I think that this is great news, as it should end all of the speculation over Houllier till at least the summer. Now everybody has to get behind the team and support them, forget about Houllier, it doesn’t matter whether you agree with Houllier staying or not. The board have made their decision as is their right, as they appointed him.

Hopefully we can escape relegation, with 3 other teams helping us out, as I don’t think this side with this manager/assistant has the backbone or nous to escape relegation on their own! At the moment I am not even contemplating relegation as its not constructive and then in the summer we can look at the situation again.

[Cuz]

Ridiculous he has to go as he and GM can't do the job the results and performances prove that, We need change!!! 

[Ian.]

I'm glad, everyone, players especially have to get behind him and do whats right for Villa.
I hope we will see a difference when his own players come into it. I reckon the likes of our kids on the fringes would really benefit from GH style of play. But we need to move out the players who do not fit into his methods.