Gerard's gaffes

[TopDeck113]

I'd quite like us to hire a defensive coach with coaching credentials, as oppose to an ex-centre half who supposedly loves the club, but has no track record on the training ground.

[Chipsticks]

To be fair to Gerard about his comments, managers get 100% of the blame, when there may be many, many factors affecting the team from outside his control. I think we have to accept that managers have to blame something, as they are normally the only ones to stand up for themselves, and being as we have blamed MON for problems on and off the pitch in recent months and indeed years, why can't he aswell.

It's not his team yet. This year has been the dodgy transitional period trying to make the best of what MON left him; Houllier's first season is next season for me.

[VillaAlways]

Houllier has also arranged for his squad to watch tomorrow's Spurs-AC Milan game on TV.

Well thank God they're just watching it on TV.I've been having images of the Sky cameras panning along the row of the Villa squad as they watch Spurs put 3 past AC Milan

[paul_e]

I'm feeling the need to defend Gerard a little here, loads of people have mentioned the injury list but it's never been backed up with actual numbers on here that I've seen.  So...

http://www.physioroom.com/news/english_premier_league/clubs/2/aston_villa_injuries.html

Scrolling down there's a few in August, so we'll start with those but it has to be remembered that we already had Delph out at that point, so we'll add that 1 to the total which comes out as 47 injuries.  That's a massive number for a squad of 23 players to absorb.  Add on bans and we've had a fair amount of players missing for a large chunk of the season, which can't help.

The other thing that is mentioned in the thread a few times is to say why don't we just defend corners like we did last year.  The answer to that is fairly simple.  The entire coaching and management team that planned that left, no one who had dealings with the first team was left.  Therefore the only people who could've implemented that same defensive system are the players, but an off form Collins and an overweight Dunne had their own problems, along with Warnock who clearly didn't want to be at the club any more.

[paulcomben]

Gerard Gaffe number 11,147: loans out Fonz, who then scores more goals in 5 minutes than Heskey could manage in 5 matches.

[Dave Cooper please]

GH should hire from  Martin Laursen to work on our defence

A thousand Yes's

Martin Laursen might be a really shit coach though.

[paul_e]

Gerard Gaffe number 11,147: loans out Fonz, who then scores more goals in 5 minutes than Heskey could manage in 5 matches.

Surely the whole point of loaning him out was so he'd score some goals and get his confidence and experience up.  To me that goal shows that loaning him out was a good thing not bad, but I guess if you're looking for a stick to beat the manager with anything will do.

[Dave]

Gerard Gaffe number 11,147: loans out Fonz, who then scores more goals in 5 minutes than Heskey could manage in 5 matches.

Yet Houllier is the worst kind of scum for deciding to play him in the match against Man City.

So we don't want him playing and we don't want him loaned out. Gotta feel sorry for the kid.

[KevinGage]

and being as we have blamed MON for problems on and off the pitch in recent months and indeed years, why can't he aswell.

Because the vast majority of managers just don't do it, shows lack of cojones as much as anything else.

[Apyadg]

Gerard Gaffe number 11,147: loans out Fonz, who then scores more goals in 5 minutes than Heskey could manage in 5 matches.

Yet Houllier is the worst kind of scum for deciding to play him in the match against Man City.

So we don't want him playing and we don't want him loaned out. Gotta feel sorry for the kid.

If only there were a middle ground between playing him in a cup game, the only competition left which gave us a chance of making anything of the season, and sending him off to a team in a lower league. If only.

[luke25]

GH should hire from  Martin Laursen to work on our defence

A thousand Yes's

Martin Laursen might be a really shit coach though.

Just five hundred yes's then

[Ian.]

I'm feeling the need to defend Gerard a little here, loads of people have mentioned the injury list but it's never been backed up with actual numbers on here that I've seen.  So...

http://www.physioroom.com/news/english_premier_league/clubs/2/aston_villa_injuries.html

Scrolling down there's a few in August, so we'll start with those but it has to be remembered that we already had Delph out at that point, so we'll add that 1 to the total which comes out as 47 injuries.  That's a massive number for a squad of 23 players to absorb.  Add on bans and we've had a fair amount of players missing for a large chunk of the season, which can't help.

The other thing that is mentioned in the thread a few times is to say why don't we just defend corners like we did last year.  The answer to that is fairly simple.  The entire coaching and management team that planned that left, no one who had dealings with the first team was left.  Therefore the only people who could've implemented that same defensive system are the players, but an off form Collins and an overweight Dunne had their own problems, along with Warnock who clearly didn't want to be at the club any more.

Good post, I'm with you here.
He never started in a good position. To be honest he must have been a bit mental to join us in the first place....This could have been his biggest gaffe.

A team who has players hand picked to play a certain style. A closed transfer window so you can not bring anyone in to help other players adjust to a new system. Injuries finally catching up with us after a very lucky run of it and then the fringe/younger players who are out of their depth in the Premier from never having a chance.

He has made mistakes, probably even more than he even expected. I do believe it wouldn't have mattered who took the job we would be in a similar position.

I will say though he does seem to have foot in mouth disease, but that does not make him a bad manager. I just hope he turns it around and I'm still sure he will.

[dave.woodhall]

47 injuries? Are you sure?

[Percy McCarthy]

The other thing that is mentioned in the thread a few times is to say why don't we just defend corners like we did last year.  The answer to that is fairly simple.  The entire coaching and management team that planned that left, no one who had dealings with the first team was left.  Therefore the only people who could've implemented that same defensive system are the players, but an off form Collins and an overweight Dunne had their own problems, along with Warnock who clearly didn't want to be at the club any more.

And yet Houllier is telling us that we are defending them as we were last season.

[Dave]

47 injuries? Are you sure?

Seems to stack up according to that link.

From Cuellar on August 6th through to Dunne on March 4th, cumulatively it's 47 injuries.