The future of Houllier and McAllister?

[Louzie0]

I think I'm in a minority here, but I want Houllier to be given a chance next season, health permitting. G-Mac can sling his hook, though.

I'm in that minority as well.  (tin hat on head, tonight.)

[WikiVilla]

Bob Bradley anyone ? 

[Greg N'Ash]

I'm sorry, Lerner/Faulkner shouldn't be getting away so easily from this shambles. 

This was a shocking appointment on so many levels, the initial dithering, their refusal to look at candidates already in work then hiring a bloke that then couldn't start immediatley (which seemed to take us by surprise) and obviously the choice itself (the reason it surprised everyone was that no one in their right mind would have gone for him - even the bookies didn't list him and they'll list everyone they can think of FFS!).

I just hope that Randy and the Board are also having a long hard look at how they went about the whole recruitment process and get their act together for the Summer.

show me a club that wouldn't be wrong footed by their shit of a manager walking out a week before the season starts. then show me who we could have got who was employed elsewhere and would have done the same to their club?

[OzVilla]

G-Mac is his little prodigy.  I'll be highly surprised if G-Mac goes anywhere while Houllier is in charge.  Infact, that sort of thing only ever happens in the event of the Assistant getting a shot at Management - and not much chance of that i'm afraid.

You get one, you'll be getting the other.
Reason numer 3827 why they have to be politley moved on.

[WikiVilla]

I cant see how leaving Kevin Mc in charge and letting him and Sid have a crack could have been an worse

[OzVilla]

I'm sorry, Lerner/Faulkner shouldn't be getting away so easily from this shambles. 

This was a shocking appointment on so many levels, the initial dithering, their refusal to look at candidates already in work then hiring a bloke that then couldn't start immediatley (which seemed to take us by surprise) and obviously the choice itself (the reason it surprised everyone was that no one in their right mind would have gone for him - even the bookies didn't list him and they'll list everyone they can think of FFS!).

I just hope that Randy and the Board are also having a long hard look at how they went about the whole recruitment process and get their act together for the Summer.

show me a club that wouldn't be wrong footed by their shit of a manager walking out a week before the season starts. then show me who we could have got who was employed elsewhere and would have done the same to their club?

I think MON was a shit for what he did to us too but losing a Manager just before or early in the season is a fairly regular occurance in football.  Managers will leave at any time if the right offer comes along from a strong, well established Premiership side.

We need to be a damn sight more purposeful about it next time.  And as they've had so much notice now  ( Ged's health issues make the decision easier even for them to see now) they'll have no excuses will they.

[KevinGage]

Didn't understand the appointment at the time and seen nothing to make me change my mind since.

Please get rid Randy or we'll be in terrible strife next season.

I actually did understand the appointment at the time, or at least could see some merit in it.

RL and General K lived in the North West for a number of years whilst based at MBNA in Chester, when GH was winning trophies on a fairly frequent basis just down the road.  In the weeks leading up to the GH appointment  the board made it pretty clear they weren't looking for a stop gap manager post Kevin Mac. They were looking for 'the' manager. They also apparently consulted Graham Taylor and he gave them a ringing endorsement.

It's hard to argue with GH's CV and he brings a wealth of experience to the role. He also has plenty of contacts across the globe. I balanced that with the memories of him turning on a number of his players in the past and publicly humiliating them (Ginola and Westerveld being the stand out cases). Plus his tendency to either claim credit for things that -strictly speaking- weren't down to him, or divert attention away from himself when he was coming under fire. It was always someone else's fault, someone else's responsibility -and these have been traits that have endured throughout his career. Possibly a defence mechanism of sorts, something you'd need to develop in the cut throat world of football management. Maybe he even believed it himself too, at times.

So overall, I was neutral on the appointment. I could see the possible benefits (improvement on style of play, more expansive approach to tactics and transfers and so forth) and also some of the pitfalls (caustic approach to team morale, a bit too happy to run off at the mouth to the media).

He was also, it must be said, a more preferable option at the time to the likes of Curbishley and Sven.

I must say I didn't ever envisage a scenario where he'd send out a weakened side to throw a vital cup game though -as he either didn't believe in himself or his team enough. You'd think part of the things that made him successful previously (and made him disliked elsewhere), the arrogance, the poor losing/ blaming others was ultimately borne out of him being a winner. Winners don't do what he did in March.

Overall it hasn't worked, that much is clear. And I haven't seen enough promise to suggest it will with the benefit of time. Sometimes it just doesn't work out. Plenty of good managers have been sacked in the past. In fairly recent history, the likes of Ramos, Magath and Van Gaal have all found themselves out of work (the latter still is). Why should we be immune to such a scenario?  The key is not to exacerbate the thing by persisting with a failed set up either.

[Greg N'Ash]

Sorry but if Lerner hadn't gone for Kevin Mcdonald for a trial period and instead knocked on the door of Everton or elsewhere and tried to persuade the manager to leave a week or so into the season, well they'd have to be pretty unprincipled to jump ship that early. Fair enough after Mcdonald left, but maybe they did look around. We don't know.

[WikiVilla]

At the time of his appointment, lets be honest the general assessment amongst Villa fans was WTF !!

It hasn't worked for one reason or another, time to draw a line and start again I'm afraid

[OzVilla]

Fair enough after Mcdonald left, but maybe they did look around. We don't know.

Well i'm talking about the whole period as K-Mac was obviously a stop gap to allow us time, no problem with that (6 games as it turned out which is plenty long enough).

But to then end up with a bloke that hasn't managed for 4 years, has a history of health issues and has been a leading light in that bastion of WC professionalism, the French FA is quite simply madness.

[taylorsworkrate]

I love it. As soon as we lose a game the knee jerks come out. So boring and so predictable. We lost 2-1 away against probably the best baggies team in 20years with our manager just out of hospital. I suggest some of you go and support Liverpool, you will fit right in. Completely short sighted opinions....

On that basis, many a knee will have been jerked throughout the vast majority of this pitiful season.  These are not views based on the odd result, but an opinion that has been formed from the substantial body of evidence avaliable.

Make no mistake, the reason we will stay up (probably) is due to the fact the league is of a very mediocre standard.

[dave.woodhall]

Fair enough after Mcdonald left, but maybe they did look around. We don't know.

Well i'm talking about the whole period as K-Mac was obviously a stop gap to allow us time, no problem with that (6 games as it turned out which is plenty long enough).

But to then end up with a bloke that hasn't managed for 4 years, has a history of health issues and has been a leading light in that bastion of WC professionalism, the French FA is quite simply madness.

Who would you have appointed?

[ez]

I just hope they haven't done the club long term damage. Hopefully the new manager can get us back on track quickly, as if this season never happened. Well you never know.

[jembob]

We've avoided relegation only because there are teams that have been more shit than us - a fairly obvious statement until you consider the abundance of talent in the squad. For a team like ours to be still flirting with relegation shows mismanagement of the highest order and whether that comes from GED or his coaching staff makes little difference. They all need to go as I have seen nothing to suggest that anything on the playing side has improved - we might pass it a bit more now but it's all still fairly meaningless and our defence has certainly forgotten why they take to the pitch each game.
If I could see what the coaching staff are trying to achieve on the pitch I would give them some leeway. If I got the impression that there was a strong team mentality I could forgive a lot. If I saw the team at least doing the basics I would feel much more comfortable. If I saw our team come out for a second half fired up and ready to take the points, I'd get excited. If I saw some tactical organisation and sensible substitutions then I would support team selections. The scary thing is that I can't see anything progressing and fully expect to see this really good squad fall apart in the summer. This season could put us back three or four years and the Board really need to appoint a top calibre manager to stop the rot.

[ez]

Didn't understand the appointment at the time and seen nothing to make me change my mind since.

Please get rid Randy or we'll be in terrible strife next season.

I think I'm in a minority here, but I want Houllier to be given a chance next season, health permitting. G-Mac can sling his hook, though.

Massive gamble. Too massive.