In defence of Houllier

[darren woolley]

If anything we are playing worse than we were under MON so with the same players we have gone backwards we need him to get the players motivated which i doubt GH is capable of so as much as i will be back our manager whoever he is because i want him to do his best for the Villa and at the moment he is'nt doing it.

[ROBBO]

I give credit to MON for getting avarage players to play above themselves in a structure tailor made to their capabilities, unfortunately it doesn't last. i wholeheartedly agree that there is no room at Villa Park for players whe deem their self importance should come before the welfare of the club, unfortunately we can't get rid of them all at the same time.

[Karl Bridges]

Uh oh.  A Chris Smith thumbs down is a more damning indictment than the dreaded vote of confidence.

With respect to Chris, as a management barometer I can't really take him seriously.

[ronshirt]

Uh oh.  A Chris Smith thumbs down is a more damning indictment than the dreaded vote of confidence.

With respect to Chris, as a management barometer I can't really take him seriously.

The real portent of trouble times ahead is when Chris and the Gnasher start agreeing on things. There's probably a verse or two in Revelations somewhere.

[PaulWinch again]

To be frank I think a statement needs to be made by the club in terms of money to support the manager. We haven't spent anything for a long time now.

[Karl Bridges]

What a Carson Yeung style we'll be spending £40 million by Tuesday style statement, or the statements already made by Krulak & Faulkner stating there is money to spend. Maybe a weekly publishing of a mini statement from the club's bank account.

[OzVilla]

Actions speak louder than words in most things in life and transfer windows are no different.

[ozzjim]

Oz and Karl are both right. Only buying 2-3 players will show financial commitment that some fans want, although I also agree with the club exploiting the loan system at the moment because it reduces the long term liability for the club and then signing players on permanent deals in May/ June.

Making a statement each week, after Faulkner said 10 days ago we would back Houlier in the market, is a silly waste of time, and simply alerts clubs that the manager has cash to spend, and disappoints fans when a very, very complex deals falls through.

[Villa'Zawg]

What a Carson Yeung style we'll be spending £40 million by Tuesday style statement, or the statements already made by Krulak & Faulkner stating there is money to spend. Maybe a weekly publishing of a mini statement from the club's bank account.

They have spent £40m over the last 2 summers.

[Neil Hawkes]

In GH defence - I think MON knew we would be in this position and is one of the main reasons he walked.

He knew he was losing his most effectual player (Milner), he knew the defence was on the verge of imploding (otherwise why allow Dunne to come back so unfit), he knew his Captain was coming to the end of his influence and stamina and most importantly, he knew that no more players could be bought until the upcoming deadwood had been sold.

No matter who we have at the helm, until they have their players, (currently the only players you could say are GH's are the kids - have they disappointed?), we are stuck in the mire.

I would propose the Club knows it, the present Manager knows it and also our previous Manager knew it.

[DB]

In GH defence - I think MON knew we would be in this position and is one of the main reasons he walked.

He knew he was losing his most effectual player (Milner), he knew the defence was on the verge of imploding (otherwise why allow Dunne to come back so unfit), he knew his Captain was coming to the end of his influence and stamina and most importantly, he knew that no more players could be bought until the upcoming deadwood had been sold.

No matter who we have at the helm, until they have their players, (currently the only players you could say are GH's are the kids - have they disappointed?), we are stuck in the mire.

I would propose the Club knows it, the present Manager knows it and also our previous Manager knew it.

You really beleive if MON had stayed we'd be where we are now? Come on, we may have slipped but we wouldn't be in this mess.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

I give credit to MON for getting avarage players to play above themselves in a structure tailor made to their capabilities, unfortunately it doesn't last. i wholeheartedly agree that there is no room at Villa Park for players whe deem their self importance should come before the welfare of the club, unfortunately we can't get rid of them all at the same time.

You say average, but he got us the best he could. Downing, Dunne, Young, Carew, Sidwell, Cuellar, Milner & Heskey would've been bought by every other team in the Premier League, bar the top few teams.

[Irish villain]

Phil Thompson just gave a stout defence of GH on sky (well he would wouldn't he?). There seemed to be agreement between the panel that MON ran a very lax ship at villa and that the culture and philosophy was just wrong. That MON only was concerned with his first eleven, giving them days off and letting them live where they want. Pretty much what we all knew. I agree it needed to change but I still think GH tried to put his mark on things too quickly. No point going forward two steps if we go back an age by getting relegated. Gradual change is best.

[El Hurricane]

As Robbo states in his first post Houllier hasn't had much go right for him from day one.Would things be so different if we had a fully fit Fabian Delph? This guy can tackle,score goals and can pass "forward" no problem.Compare and contrast to Petrov,he is way past his best,no way a 90 minute player,when he does tackle he doesn't have the engine to power away from his opponent,his goalscoring and "attempts" are woeful.More games for Fabian and to be a regular first teamer would be good for Villa and good for Houllier.Can't happen quick enough for me.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Excellent post Eig, I think you covered everything with the exception of the players mentality towards Houllier.

I tell you what all this player power if true really gets to me more than anything else.
These players need to show some bloody respect to Aston Villa and bury any differences they may have on a personal level and get on with the job in hand. If Houllier needs to ship any of these "said" trouble makers lets hope he does quick.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, I don't think it's a case of Houllier losing the dressing room for the simple reason he's never had it in the first place.
There does appear to be factions within the squad and we're not going to turn things around until this problem is resolved. I heard Mourinho yesterday saying how he never had to teach Terry how to head a ball, Essien how to tackle or Drogna how to score. His job was to get the players working as a team, respecting each other both on and off the pitch, all working together for the same cause.

Player power is one of the worst things about modern football and the players need to abandon their selfish agendas and focus on what they're paid to do. Obviously Houllier needs to show some leadership but he can only do that with players that are prepared to listen. Those that won't need to leave, no matter who they are. Nobody is bigger than the club and that goes for players as well as managers.