Has Houllier changed our club for the better?

[Mazrim]

I think the fact that we concede so many daft goals colours some people's opinions of our "style". We can play some really good stuff and if we kept it just a bit tighter, it would be remarked on more often. But thats understandable.

There is more sophistication currently and I dont want to go back to the very one dimensional football we were playing over the last year or two. All it will take is to get the few defenders and new goalie we need and we wont be so vulnerable. Plus some of the kids to gain experience.
Its coming but it will take time.

There is definitely more style about our play but style doesnt keep clean sheets. Houllier knows this. He'll know what needs to be done. Too many senior players are letting him down and are also not appearing on the pitch enough to make a difference.

Couldn't all of the teams at the bottom say the similar things though?  I mean, Wigan and West Ham try and play football as well, and I'm sure they realise that they concede too many goals as well.

I suppose so but I would say we have more capability than those teams. That is to say, its only our defence letting us down with pretty much everything else in place (inlcuding the youth system), whereas those other teams around us are just not very good or are more limited.
There's no absolute mugs this season though. They are all capable of taking points off anybody else.

I think the dfference between us and challenging for the top 6 places again is just a few (admittedly very good) players. I really do.
Class left back, commanding ball playing centre half, younger goalkeeper who commands his area.
If we get those and fuck off the deadwood and trouble makers, plus add a bit more cover depending on who leaves, we'll be looking strong again.

[Cuz]

erm......NO!!!!

[Ian.]

I agree with Mazrim a few additions, mainly in the defence and we are on the right track.
Also the only one positive we can take from this season is we have given some of our youngsters a lot of experience. All of them will benefit and those out on loan will also help to improve them as players.

[Cuz]

How can you be so sure from what i've seen this season we have taken a huge backward step, and if he was so good for Liverpool why did he go, his name wasn't even mentioned when Woy Hodgson got the push, I'm sorry Hartman but Ged is not good, may have been but not now and i am looking forward to seeing him and the mute go in the Summer

He overhauled the squad at Liverpool with great success, he will do the same here IMO.

[Eigentor]

Yes, results this season are very disappointing compared to last season. But add to the equation (1) that we sold our best player last season, (2) that our second best player last season has had fitness and attitude problems, and  (3) that we haved had the worst injury crisis in living memory -- and the way from 6th to 13th isn't maybe that far.

What should GH have done different? Maybe implemented his changes a bit more slowly, giving players more time to adapt. Made a second attempt at bringing Patrice Bergues with him. And fielded a stronger team against Man City. He has made a few mistakes

GH brings with him a good record. But his methods are very different from MON's. Such a change in methodoly is bound to bring short-term problems. Some claim that we are experiencing short-term pain for long-term gain, others that our current regression will last. The truth is: it is impossible to know. If results improve, senior players who don't like him are bombed out, the coaching team is augmented (preferably with at least one defensive first team coach), younger players improve as we hope and his transfer dealings are good, we will be fine. If results remain unimpressive, senior players' doubt about his methods spreads to younger players, bad apples can't be shifted, a few flops are signed, and he has to fight continually for respect among players, then it can end in tears.

[Cuz]

Good record Good record, his record this season has been shocking, I could forgive Man Citeah and the Liverpool love in if he showed passion for the team he went into both those games not really ecpecting/wanting to win how can that inspire, i get really embarrassed when he and GMac just sit there like waxworks not giving any instruction just staring like a some bug eyed loon, I just don't get him and have seen no positives, I enjoyed MON's time with us and Ged's reign is becoming more like D'OL imo

[Eigentor]

his record this season has been shocking

Not shocking. But is has been very disappointing. But I believe that his record this season would have been equally bad if he had been acting like a baboon on the sidelines, screaming and jumping. The only difference it would have made is that people would have slagged him off for acting like a baboon on the sidelines to no avail.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Good post Eig and very hard to disagree. The mention of the defensive coach for me is key. I just get the feeling we only got half the deal when GH joined us. I'm hoping Patrice Berges will finally be in a position to bring his expertise to Villa Park in the summer. By all accounts he was very popular with the players at Liverpool, they all respected his methods as well as being a likeable fella. Everything GH won was with Berges alongside him. It went tits-up at Liverpool when he left.

The way I see it, Houllier needs him more than we need Houllier. For all the problems we've had this season, I still think he should have done better. I expect there to be quite a few comings and goings during the summer. I just hope Houllier has Berges at the top of his wanted list.

[Eigentor]

The mention of the defensive coach for me is key. I just get the feeling we only got half the deal when GH joined us. I'm hoping Patrice Berges will finally be in a position to bring his expertise to Villa Park in the summer.

Agreed. Maybe I'm too simplistic, but it's tempting to see a connection between how the team has developed and the skills of the coaches. Passing (Sid and McAllister) has improved, and so has fitness (Duverne). The defence keeps leaking (no-one), and our strikers keep wasting (too many) chances (also no-one?).

At Liverpool GH created a defence that was capable of shutting down some of the best sides in Europe, whereas his Aston Villa side seems uncapable of conceding less than two goals each game. The answer to this apparent puzzle may be Patrice Bergues.

[cdward]

to suit his style

Tip tappying around on the halfway line and forgetting to defend ?

In fairness that is a very accurate and succint match report of us vs Man Citeh in the cup.

[Mazrim]

And nothing like the dominant display against Blackburn for instance.

[eastie]

Don't forget the impact phil Thompson had at Liverpool on the defence too, when houllier took the job thommo agreed in principle to come to villa and even handed his notice to sky but he said after talking to his family he changed his mind as working with GED was often a 16 hour day and he didn't want the upheaval for his family- I think had he came we would have been much better off.

[Concrete John]

Unfortunately this season we've seen more games like the Man City one than we have the Blackburn one!

[peter w]

I think the one thing even his detractors should recognise is that he is trying to change the club for the better. We do look like we are trying to play good attacking football and we do have the players capable of doing that. Its what happens at the other end that is all wrong. but my point is that I think Houllier is noticeably trying to do something better. If he's good enought o do that is a different question.

[ozzjim]

Interesting isn't it peter, that you want him to be good enough because it could move us so much further forward. I think we have to get the season out the way, then I think he might try to get another coach in for the defence and a number of new players back there, most likely on less money!