Will GH last the season?

[Concrete John]

I don't dislike the way he's trying to get us to play, but that's not the issue - results are. 

[KevinGage]

Lets presume he keeps us up, but we stay more or less where we are now in the table.

Moyes or similar other strong candidate becomes available in the summer.

That could be an interesting board meeting....

I hope that if we are genuinely reassessing the situation in the summer, we'd be relying on more than suitable candidates falling into our lap - or just targeting managers not already tied up with another club. Not having a pop following the events of last summer, the timing more than anything really nailed us there.

But if it's Moyes, Hughes or whoever else they want, they (RL and co)  should do all they can to make them available. Using the Bent deal as an example, he wasn't available until we forced the issue. The end of the season or early into pre season will make it easier than Aug/Sept for clubs to contemplate a change at the top.

It's by no means a given that you'll always secure your first choice, the existing club will have a bit of a say in that to put it mildly. But you exhaust every avenue, that's all you can do.

[TimTheVillain]

I don't dislike the way he's trying to get us to play, but that's not the issue - results are. 

As is team spirit.

The morale at VP appears to be very low, worryingly so.

[Chris Smith]

I don't dislike the way he's trying to get us to play, but that's not the issue - results are. 

As is team spirit.

The morale at VP appears to be very low, worryingly so.

Is it? Or is it a case of a few disgruntled individuals rocking the boat?

[DB]

I don't dislike the way he's trying to get us to play, but that's not the issue - results are. 

As is team spirit.

The morale at VP appears to be very low, worryingly so.

Is it? Or is it a case of a few disgruntled individuals rocking the boat?

If you take a step back, it's not looking great at our football club is it?

The only thing I want is 3 points on Sat, and maximum after that 'till end of the season.

[TheSandman]

I thought he should have gone after Man City away in the league. I changed my mind after he did well, results and transfer-wise, in January. Now I'm just not sure what to think.

I'll join Percy's confused club.
I'm not sure what to think, for every positive (better football) there's a negative (Gerard's lousy PR skills)
Still think there is a massive danger of us being relegated.

Put me into this camp as well. Well that is my personal opinion. As for the opinion of those who matter, I am pretty sure that he will still be our manager next season. They have put themselves firmly behind him and barring relegation they will continue to do so.

I can see the good he has done for the club in his stay so far but this season there has been much more evidence of the bad so far. I am hopeful given time this balance would shift but I am not exactly certain that it will happen.

[Salsa Party Animal]

I think he will last the season without doubt. But I could see Villa giving him a DOF football role and bring in new manager/head coach.

[spangley1812]

A win on Saturday is crucial and a better defensive performance is very important too.........Im not convinced by the formation that he plays, playing people out of position and rotating players for no reason but thats just my opinion

[Eigentor]

GH will last the season. He has had to work under difficult conditions, but he hasn't made it too easy for himself. It's clear that our defence is in disarray; yes Warnock, Dunne and Beye (and perhaps also Collins and Luke Young) have acted like morons, but the lack of a defensive coach and constant (reported) quarreling about our defensive training seem to indicate that something is lacking in the coaching department as well. Our defenders aren't the only ones to blame for our abysmal defensive record, and GH has to take responsibiliy for this. After all, the same defenders did very well (albeit under fairly different circumstances) last season.

Our attack has also been poor: Gabby doesn't score anymore (he didn't before he was moved out on the left either); Carew was getting ever older, lazier and frequently injured; and Heskey has (apart from one season) never been prolific. I think GH (and Randy) did right in using the easiest and most efficient solution to this problem: he signed Bent, a proven PL goalscorer -- and it could be that his goals will keep us up.

Our midfield has given most cause for optimism, despite the loss of Milner. But without a decent defence and goalscorers, this improvement has had little impact on results.

I think GH deserves the benefit of doubt. He came after the start of the season to manage a team that (apparently) didn't have proper pre-season training, that was practically without a coaching team (so GH had to assemble a very small one in record time), has had to endure a crippling injury list and unprofessional players who don't accept his methods. Taking these factors into account, I'd say Houllier has been disappointing but not a disaster. I think it's in the club's interest to discover if he can put that right.

[l_mckay]

I cant see him being sacked anytime soon,especially not this season!

[BlueNoseBadger]

I think it pretty unlikely that GH will go before season's end - regardless of your results.
RL & the General were at pains to ensure that the "right man" was chosen to replace MON, resulting in a protracted process to finally get Houllier in.
If they ditch him now, with only weeks to go before the end of the season, any replacement would rightly be seen as a panic move calling into question their detailed deliberations for the original decision.
Likewise, they'd probably have to instal MacDonald again as caretaker, having previously judged him not up to the job.

Sorry Guys, for better or worse, he's here for the season.
I still don't reckon you will go down - you have a half-decent squad, with enough quality to get results when you need them, and other sides are far worse than you.
Internal ructions are your biggest problem - get everyone committed to a single cause, and you'll breeze to safety
Wolves could indeed be a tough fixture - McCarthy is better at firing his men up than GH will ever be. It will be how well GH can rally the troops if you don't win that will define how tough the rest of the season goes.

Also, for what it's worth, I'm afraid I don't rate GH as a manager for you - He comes across as a bloke who thinks he's married the wrong bird, and keeps harking back after his first love, or trying to change his wife into her

All the best

[eastie]

Don't worry bluenose , we won't go down but there's a good chance that you may well do.

[BlueNoseBadger]

I don't deny that is a very real possibility
That said, the same applies to pretty much anyone in the bottom half of the table right now.
Normally, around this time, someone puts together a little unbeaten run - couple of wins / draws - that makes the situation rosier and creates some daylight from the bottom 3
We have the squad mentality and managerial drive to do that, but it may ultimately go down to who gets the breaks & who takes their chances

[luke25]

I think it pretty unlikely that GH will go before season's end - regardless of your results.
RL & the General were at pains to ensure that the "right man" was chosen to replace MON, resulting in a protracted process to finally get Houllier in.
If they ditch him now, with only weeks to go before the end of the season, any replacement would rightly be seen as a panic move calling into question their detailed deliberations for the original decision.
Likewise, they'd probably have to instal MacDonald again as caretaker, having previously judged him not up to the job.

Sorry Guys, for better or worse, he's here for the season.
I still don't reckon you will go down - you have a half-decent squad, with enough quality to get results when you need them, and other sides are far worse than you.
Internal ructions are your biggest problem - get everyone committed to a single cause, and you'll breeze to safety
Wolves could indeed be a tough fixture - McCarthy is better at firing his men up than GH will ever be. It will be how well GH can rally the troops if you don't win that will define how tough the rest of the season goes.

Also, for what it's worth, I'm afraid I don't rate GH as a manager for you - He comes across as a bloke who thinks he's married the wrong bird, and keeps harking back after his first love, or trying to change his wife into her

All the best

Piss off, your type aint welcome here! Only joking ;-) hard to disagree with any of that to be fair

[PaulWinch again]

Assuming we stay up, he deserves the chance to keep going. We are starting to play nice football, if he can get rid of a few bad apples I think we'll be good next season.