Indecent haste?

[Greg N'Ash]

Just what you need when lying in a hospital bed recovering from a major health scare is the added stress of people writing you off and discussing your replacement at work.
You wouldn't think it at times, but even Premier League football managers are human beings.

Get well soon Gerard.

Look, i hope he's given a clean bill of health and gets a crack at a full season, but its daft not to discuss how long we can wait for him to recover whether you want him here or not. I'm sure its crossed GH's mind as well

[Monty]

Just what you need when lying in a hospital bed recovering from a major health scare is the added stress of people writing you off and discussing your replacement at work.
You wouldn't think it at times, but even Premier League football managers are human beings.

Get well soon Gerard.

Look, i hope he's given a clean bill of health and gets a crack at a full season, but its daft not to discuss how long we can wait for him to recover whether you want him here or not. I'm sure its crossed GH's mind as well

We know it has, as Randy and Faulkner discussed with him the possibility of the doctors advising him not to return to work.

[gervilla]

Just what you need when lying in a hospital bed recovering from a major health scare is the added stress of people writing you off and discussing your replacement at work.
You wouldn't think it at times, but even Premier League football managers are human beings.

Get well soon Gerard.

Look, i hope he's given a clean bill of health and gets a crack at a full season, but its daft not to discuss how long we can wait for him to recover whether you want him here or not. I'm sure its crossed GH's mind as well

I'm sure we all hope he gets back to full health as soon as possible but I hope those in power at Villa Park are awake to the situation  that we are possibly facing for the second summer in a row.

[Toronto Villa]

Just what you need when lying in a hospital bed recovering from a major health scare is the added stress of people writing you off and discussing your replacement at work.
You wouldn't think it at times, but even Premier League football managers are human beings.

Get well soon Gerard.

I think you're being a little melodramatic. Not one person on here - pro-or anti Houllier the manager hasn't wished him the very best for him personally. But this is real life, and in the event that he has to step down, looking at a contingency is the right thing to do. I want him to come back and continue the job he started, but GH the human being takles precedence over that. Nobody is being insensitive, and I don't think this will add any stress to him whatsoever. He walked away once before because it made sense. He may have to again. I'm sure he's been thinking about it himself.

[dave.woodhall]

Let me throw a totally off-the-wall suggestion in here.

Gez upstairs and Robert Pires head coach/whatever the title would be.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Let me throw a totally off-the-wall suggestion in here.

Gez upstairs and Robert Pires head coach/whatever the title would be.

Lay off the crack Dave.


Apart from the Acid induced Pires suggestion, I wouldn't want Houllier in an 'upstairs' role.
I can't think of an instance where it's worked at an English club.

[VillaZogmariner]

I think it would work if he were to take a role similar to that of Arneson at Chelsea. Maybe even as some sort of football advisor to the board.

[jembob]

This may just work out to be convenient for all parties. Clearly Houllier is not popular with the fans and I'm sure the job has turned out to be a lot more difficult and pressurised than he had expected. A move upstairs or retirement would probably be a good move for him and it would also mean that RAL would not be blamed for a poor appointment.
Either way I wish him well, but suspect that the club may look at this as an opportunity to start again with a manager which they can take their time in recruiting.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

What decent Manager worth his salt would take orders from Houllier?

The only way it could possibly work is if you were to have an inexperienced coach, like McAllister.

No thanks, we need an experienced man at the helm who doesn't have to put up with whispers in his ear all the time.

[Percy McCarthy]

Let me throw a totally off-the-wall suggestion in here.

Gez upstairs and Robert Pires head coach/whatever the title would be.

Lay off the crack Dave.


Apart from the Acid induced Pires suggestion, I wouldn't want Houllier in an 'upstairs' role.
I can't think of an instance where it's worked at an English club.

Very rarely, if at all. Because in England the manager is the director of football.

[TheSandman]

Let me throw a totally off-the-wall suggestion in here.

Gez upstairs and Robert Pires head coach/whatever the title would be.

I wouldn't be against it. I think Pires might make a decent coach and Gerard might be useful with his contacts and experience.

Though I remember Pires saying in an interview that he has no interest in being a manager but would consider an assistant's job.

[Clampy]

GH might make a decent scout if anything. Three of the four players he's brought in have been decent enough.

[pauliewalnuts]

The Pires idea is possibly the barmiest thing I've heard on here for ages, Dave, I'm afraid.

If GH is back to full health, I don't have any issue with him continuing next season, it makes sense to do that.

If, on the other hand, he's not up to it, then he's not up to it. As others have said, DoF roles do not work in the English game. It'd be time to look for a new, permanent manager, and quickly, too. Letting this drag well into the summer would just be repeating the turmoil of last (late) summer.

[Rancid custard]

I for one am in two minds about this. The compassionate sentimentalist wants him to recover, take the time he needs come back and have a couple of seasons at least to finish his work in progress, have his team playing his football and hopefully be where we need to be.

The instant gratification fan with an unnerving impatience wants it nipped in the bud rather than go through all the rigmarole of the quagmire of if's but's and maybe's.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Though I remember Pires saying in an interview that he has no interest in being a manager but would consider an assistant's job.

Has he got any coaching badges?

I bet not.