Villa supporters turn up heat on Houllier

[Billy Walker]

The thing is there are a number of clubs below us and, to the best of my knowledge, their fans aren't protesting or producing banners.  As a consequence the media aren't focusing on them or stirring up trouble.  Negativity will not help our club one iota, it will simply ramp up the pressure on the players.  We need to lift the lads - some of them are very young - and get them playing with passion, with confidence and pride.  Back them to the hilt.

Get positive, get behind the club and let's focus on finishing the season as high up the table as possible.  We can debate managers after the final ball has been kicked.  There's nearly a quarter of the season left to play - let's climb that table.

[brontebilly]

I cant see any other club planning protests. I can't remember it happening last season either. This is making us look like spoilt kids who can't handle our team losing.

So when should the protests start? Doncaster next season ?

I can't see how protests would worsen matters on the pitch after the disgusting performance against a poor Wolves side. To be honest that was rock bottom.

No club down there has had investment it in it's playing staff and  management like us. Its a disgrace we are down there really. Even in DOL and GT2 time we actually had pretty poor players. Now we have the squad that finished 6th last season and we are 3 points from bottom. No excuses. To be honest, if our board
had any backbone Houllier would have gone after the Anfield debacle when it was clear he wasn't up to managing players anymore. Looks like he will have to go in the summer anyway as regardless of who he signs as even if we stay up, season tickets sales will be at rock bottom and not many new players will want to sign for a lame duck manager. Let's just have a clean break now and get McClaren (my choice), Hughton (success in solving broken dressing rooms) or Allardyce who would cream himself at getting the job. I'd take long ball at Old Trafford rather than willy nilly at Millwall. I always hated him but let's face if he was shit I wouldn't. It might not be a bad fit either. I'd rank us a certainty to stay up if he came

[eastie]

The thing is there are a number of clubs below us and, to the best of my knowledge, their fans aren't protesting or producing banners.  As a consequence the media aren't focusing on them or stirring up trouble.  Negativity will not help our club one iota, it will simply ramp up the pressure on the players.  We need to lift the lads - some of them are very young - and get them playing with passion, with confidence and pride.  Back them to the hilt.

Get positive, get behind the club and let's focus on finishing the season as high up the table as possible.  We can debate managers after the final ball has been kicked.  There's nearly a quarter of the season left to play - let's climb that table.

Im sure the team will get the full support of us all on the pitch , i think the media frenzy is added to by the fact that villa are a big club and the rest down there are expected to be down in that area, for villa to be there makes news .

[pauliewalnuts]

Bronte, you are getting two things mixed up.

Firstly, there's the thing about the protests. You still haven't said how it'd help. Not how it wouldn't worsen things, how would it *help* us?

Secondly, you're talking as if to disagree with the protests means you support Houllier, which it quite patently does not.

[dave.woodhall]

I cant see any other club planning protests. I can't remember it happening last season either. This is making us look like spoilt kids who can't handle our team losing.

So when should the protests start?

When we've got something worth protesting about, rather than stamping our feet because we can't get our own way.

[eastie]

I cant see any other club planning protests. I can't remember it happening last season either. This is making us look like spoilt kids who can't handle our team losing.

So when should the protests start? Doncaster next season ?

I can't see how protests would worsen matters on the pitch after the disgusting performance against a poor Wolves side. To be honest that was rock bottom.
No club down there has had investment it in it's playing staff and  management like us. Its a disgrace we are down there really. Even in DOL and GT2 time we actually had pretty poor players. Now we have the squad that finished 6th last season and we are 3 points from bottom. No excuses. To be honest, if our board
had any backbone Houllier would have gone after the Anfield debacle when it was clear he wasn't up to managing players anymore. Looks like he will have to go in the summer anyway as regardless of who he signs as even if we stay up, season tickets sales will be at rock bottom and not many new players will want to sign for a lame duck manager. Let's just have a clean break now and get McClaren (my choice), Hughton (success in solving broken dressing rooms) or Allardyce who would cream himself at getting the job. I'd take long ball at Old Trafford rather than willy nilly at Millwall. I always hated him but let's face if he was shit I wouldn't. It might not be a bad fit either. I'd rank us a certainty to stay up if he came

Goodness me bronte , your choice of mclaren as 1st choice has seriously worried , there will be many better options than him.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Secondly, you're talking as if to disagree with the protests means you support Houllier, which it quite patently does not.

Absolutely.
We need to accept that he's here at least until the end of the season, so screaming at him and the players is not going to help, quite the opposite.

[Billy Walker]

Whether or not you agree with him, to introduce these rules now, at the start of the biggest 8 games since football began in 1992 just smacks of absolute and utter pettiness, tetchiness and any other ness you want to throw into the mix.  This is yet another extraordinarily ill judged faux pas on the manager's part.

If you look at the 8 players, you could argue that 6 at least would be leaving anyway, but we need them NOW so to piss them off at this stage defies any form of understanding at all.

I actually think there was slightly more harmony in the dressing room under McNeil than there is now and that is saying something.

Don't you think the papers might be doing just a little bit of shit-stirring here?  Let's not fall victim to the nonsense of tabloid journalism.  They want a story, they want a crisis club.  Houllier and Villa are perfect fodder for a crisis club story.  Let's not fall for it.

[E I Adio]

a ceo who seems out of his depth

Have I missed something here?

i take it you think paul faulkner is doing a great job then?

The truth is I don't know. Do you?

looking at the clubs situation on and off the pitch should give you a very good clue.,what are his credentials for a high profile role at a premier football club? Has he any previous experience in football in any role?

Seems to me he worked in other business for randy and has no football background whatsoever,and it shows.

If doug and stridey were here in this position they would be getting dogs abuse , but some people feel still that randy and paul are blameless.

The credentials for a professional CEO at a Premiership football club are pretty much the same as in any other business of a comparable size. It seems to me that your complaints are mostly about results on the pitch, which is the team manager's responsibility. Just what do you expect PF to do? Tell GH who to pick? Help with the training schedules? Tell GH when to sub players?

It's just that I'm not sure "a football background" is as relevant to the performance of a CEO as you might think and making sweeping statements about his competence without at least some evidence is not helping the debate.

[eastie]

Lets see where we are in may and then begin the recriminations , for me although there have been many lows the turning point was man city in the cup , we were turning things around and he had won over a lot of fans but the lack of ambition showed that night derailed us badly and i dont think fans or players have recovered since.

[eastie]

a ceo who seems out of his depth

Have I missed something here?

i take it you think paul faulkner is doing a great job then?

The truth is I don't know. Do you?

looking at the clubs situation on and off the pitch should give you a very good clue.,what are his credentials for a high profile role at a premier football club? Has he any previous experience in football in any role?

Seems to me he worked in other business for randy and has no football background whatsoever,and it shows.

If doug and stridey were here in this position they would be getting dogs abuse , but some people feel still that randy and paul are blameless.

The credentials for a professional CEO at a Premiership football club are pretty much the same as in any other business of a comparable size. It seems to me that your complaints are mostly about results on the pitch, which is the team manager's responsibility. Just what do you expect PF to do? Tell GH who to pick? Help with the training schedules? Tell GH when to sub players?

It's just that I'm not sure "a football background" is as relevant to the performance of a CEO as you might think and making sweeping statements about his competence without at least some evidence is not helping the debate.

Please remind who exactly appointed the current manager? if you are saying the current manager is to blame , do you not therefore think the man who appointed him or had a big say in it is also to blame?

what do i expect PF  to do? Appoint a manager to take the club forwards to be quite frank.
E I  aDIO , if you happy with PF  and the job hes done that is your choice .

[kippaxvilla2]

Just to clarify I am not advocating pointless non value add protests.  I do however want the manager to stop making stupid, basic errors.

[brontebilly]

I cant see any other club planning protests. I can't remember it happening last season either. This is making us look like spoilt kids who can't handle our team losing.

So when should the protests start? Doncaster next season ?

I can't see how protests would worsen matters on the pitch after the disgusting performance against a poor Wolves side. To be honest that was rock bottom.
No club down there has had investment it in it's playing staff and  management like us. Its a disgrace we are down there really. Even in DOL and GT2 time we actually had pretty poor players. Now we have the squad that finished 6th last season and we are 3 points from bottom. No excuses. To be honest, if our board
had any backbone Houllier would have gone after the Anfield debacle when it was clear he wasn't up to managing players anymore. Looks like he will have to go in the summer anyway as regardless of who he signs as even if we stay up, season tickets sales will be at rock bottom and not many new players will want to sign for a lame duck manager. Let's just have a clean break now and get McClaren (my choice), Hughton (success in solving broken dressing rooms) or Allardyce who would cream himself at getting the job. I'd take long ball at Old Trafford rather than willy nilly at Millwall. I always hated him but let's face if he was shit I
wouldn't. It might not be a bad fit either. I'd rank us a certainty to stay up if he came

Goodness me bronte , your choice of mclaren as 1st choice has seriously worried , there will be many better options than him.

Lets see where we are in may and then begin the recriminations , for me although there have been many lows the turning point was man city in the cup , we were turning things around and he had won over a lot of fans but the lack of ambition
showed that night derailed us badly and i dont think fans or players have recovered since.

I think McClaren gets a raw deal from those who judged him solely on his stint for England. Did well at Boro, I'd argue Croatia and Russia were better than England, to be fair to him he went out to a small club in Holland to rebuild his reputation and built a winning side pissing all over Jols Ajax. Negative in Germany but still he  is young, innovative, experienced and has contacts all over Europe. Hughton would be more of a long term project. I'm coming around to Allardyce I must say.

No point going for a cheque book manager next time.

[kippaxvilla2]

Whether or not you agree with him, to introduce these rules now, at the start of the biggest 8 games since football began in 1992 just smacks of absolute and utter pettiness, tetchiness and any other ness you want to throw into the mix.  This is yet another extraordinarily ill judged faux pas on the manager's part.

If you look at the 8 players, you could argue that 6 at least would be leaving anyway, but we need them NOW so to piss them off at this stage defies any form of understanding at all.

I actually think there was slightly more harmony in the dressing room under McNeil than there is now and that is saying something.

Don't you think the papers might be doing just a little bit of shit-stirring here?  Let's not fall victim to the nonsense of tabloid journalism.  They want a story, they want a crisis club.  Houllier and Villa are perfect fodder for a crisis club story.  Let's not fall for it.

Fall for what exactly.  You are not talking to one of your children.

Exaggerated possibly but with a lot of truth in it I would suggest, they quote specifics around fines etc, etc. 

I can well believe the buffoon would introduce a regime like this and at this ill timed moment.

[Chico Hamilton III]

I think McClaren gets a raw deal from those who judged him solely on his stint for England

Opening myself up to ridicule here, but I agree.

Not that he'd be my first choice for Villa, just that he's nowhere near as bad as he's been painted in the media.

Trouble is, I couldn't bear the thought of him giving interview to Pat Murphy in some kind of dodgy West Midland accent