The future of Houllier and McAllister?

[holtepaul]

For me:-

If Houllier is fit to continue, I have no issue with giving him another season. I have never known a manager have so many issues and such bad luck in one season. Yes, i know he has made mistakes - Pool and Man City being the main ones, but some of the luck has been ridiculous - remember , at one point we had to play a back line of Lichaj, Clark, Herd (and another).

It's been poor, but Houllier has done enough for me to say - give another year - for 4 years we cried out "We need a Right Back, we need a goalscorer, we need a creative midfielder" - well it took him 6 weeks to work out what the other manager couldn't see in 4 years - he got Walker, he got Bent and he got Makoun (although jury still out on that one). So I say, lets see if he fixes the other issues and see where we are then.

However, if he is not 100%v fit - sorry, gotta go, we cannot be sentimental.

McAllister - now thats another matter, I have never got what he brings to the club, and now he is in control - well 1 point in 6 says it all really doesn't it.

[Villa'Zawg]

The thing that gets me in this is the effect Houllier's illness has had. Flash back to the game before that and we had started to pick up and were getting points. People were much more positive about Houllier due to that run as we were all but safe.

I really do think had his illness not happened we might have beat Stoke and West Brom and would probably not be calling for him to be sacked.

Regardless of results, a man who has had a second dissected aorta should not be under the pressure of Premier League management.

[Bosco81]

I would like to see Randy, Gerard and Sir Graham get together and appoint the manager to work with Gerard (as DOF) and set up proper policy for Aston Villa to play a system all the way like Barcelona  or Ajax.

Randy asked GT in September who suggested Houllier as director of football with Kevin MacDonald as head coach, having been ignored once I can't see Graham offering his advice again.

[holtepaul]

I would take this

Houllier being moved upstairs to basically do for Villa what he was doing for France - setting up European academies, setting up scouting networks, recommending players , doing the contract negotiations etc...

Then go and get either Martin Jol - or a manager of a similar style and standing who can / has and will work in this system. Jol did it at Spurs, Ajax and would jump at the chance of coming here.

But if not him, there are dozens in the same ilk.

Funny thing is, I was laughed off a board last year when I said we should attempt to get Marcello Lippi (I was took the pee out of big style) - according to all reports he is being lined up for QPR now !!!

McDonald though - no, sorry. I think people forget how bad some of it was under K Mac - Newcastle 6-0 , Stoke - the entire Villa end singing "you dont know what you're doing" when everyone could see we needed to put NRC on to see the game out, he didn't and we lost.

Time is clouding peoples memory on that one

[Des Little]

KMac is most definitely not the answer, I think that's safe to say.  We someone who is going to get respect from the players, be it by their success as a Manager or their ability to motivate/scare the shit out of them.  Sadly KMac, as good a coach as he is, won't do that.  The more I think about it, I'd be happy with Ged getting a gig as Head of scouting or similar and Paul Lambert come in. 

[Rip Van We Go Again]

The thing that gets me in this is the effect Houllier's illness has had. Flash back to the game before that and we had started to pick up and were getting points. People were much more positive about Houllier due to that run as we were all but safe.

I really do think had his illness not happened we might have beat Stoke and West Brom and would probably not be calling for him to be sacked.

Regardless of results, a man who has had a second dissected aorta should not be under the pressure of Premier League management.

VD is spot on with this.
It defies all reasoning for him to carry on.

Remember that he's carrying this problem at the age of 63.

[Olneythelonely]

The thing that gets me in this is the effect Houllier's illness has had. Flash back to the game before that and we had started to pick up and were getting points. People were much more positive about Houllier due to that run as we were all but safe.

I really do think had his illness not happened we might have beat Stoke and West Brom and would probably not be calling for him to be sacked.

Regardless of results, a man who has had a second dissected aorta should not be under the pressure of Premier League management.

VD is spot on with this.
It defies all reasoning for him to carry on.

Remember that he's carrying this problem at the age of 63.

I didn't think his problem had anything to do with stress though. Just something that could happen to him at anytime.

I'm not a doctor, as you might have guessed.

[VillaAlways]

The thing that gets me in this is the effect Houllier's illness has had. Flash back to the game before that and we had started to pick up and were getting points. People were much more positive about Houllier due to that run as we were all but safe.

I really do think had his illness not happened we might have beat Stoke and West Brom and would probably not be calling for him to be sacked.

Regardless of results, a man who has had a second dissected aorta should not be under the pressure of Premier League management.

VD is spot on with this.
It defies all reasoning for him to carry on.

Remember that he's carrying this problem at the age of 63.

I didn't think his problem had anything to do with stress though. Just something that could happen to him at anytime.

I'm not a doctor, as you might have guessed.

Hypertension is the main cause of a dissected aorta. Stress = hypertension

[Merv]

Randy asked GT in September who suggested Houllier as director of football with Kevin MacDonald as head coach, having been ignored once I can't see Graham offering his advice again.

I wouldn't say GT's advice was totally ignored. We did appoint Houllier as manager, and KMac was offered - by Houllier - the position of assistant manager, only for KMac to decline. So Randy actually followed Sir Graham's advice more or less exactly, in terms of structure.

For what it's worth, I can't see Houllier continuing. And that would obviously put McAllister's future in jeopardy.

[adrenachrome]

Randy asked GT in September who suggested Houllier as director of football with Kevin MacDonald as head coach, having been ignored once I can't see Graham offering his advice again.

I wouldn't say GT's advice was totally ignored. We did appoint Houllier as manager, and KMac was offered - by Houllier - the position of assistant manager, only for KMac to decline. So Randy actually followed Sir Graham's advice more or less exactly, in terms of structure.

This is correct.

In addition, it is worth recalling that GH expressed his disappointment that KM did not take the gig by saying that he would have liked to hand over to his assistant once he had put his plans in place.

All academic now, I suppose.

 

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Bounty's have dissected coconut in them.

[adrenachrome]

Bounty's have dissected coconut in them.

Fair play to them.

[Mister E]

What's annoyed me about GH and GMac is that just as you thik they're starting to make some kind of progress, they always make an almighty fuck up. Man City in the cup was the main one and Saturday's bizarre sub was another. Personally, as harsh as it would be, if we get 3 points on Saturday, i'd let them both go straight after the game and put Sid in charge for the last two games.

I'd see a good reason to offload GMac after the win on Saturday (which is by no means a certainty) and keep GH on until it's clear where he's at.

[Bosco81]

Randy asked GT in September who suggested Houllier as director of football with Kevin MacDonald as head coach, having been ignored once I can't see Graham offering his advice again.

I wouldn't say GT's advice was totally ignored. We did appoint Houllier as manager, and KMac was offered - by Houllier - the position of assistant manager, only for KMac to decline. So Randy actually followed Sir Graham's advice more or less exactly, in terms of structure.

For what it's worth, I can't see Houllier continuing. And that would obviously put McAllister's future in jeopardy.

I suppose the difference is the role a Director of Football has compared to a manager.

If Houllier leaves in the summer, Gary Mac would go with him and Sid's role may change or disappear,  plus the goalie coach, what Graham was proposing was that the D of F oversaw everything, and then if there was a change in the Head Coach it wouldn't leave the carnage we had when O'Neill left taking all his staff with him, if Houllier and his team leave in the summer we would have to start again.

In the current set up Houllier is answerable to everything on the football side, whereas the D of F is almost a job for life and the Head Coach is responsible for the results on the pitch, the only major upheaval you have then is if you decide the D of F is not up to scratch.

[Toronto Villa]

Bounty's have dissected coconut in them.

I absolutely love Bounty's. Do they still make Bounty ice cream bars back home? Don't get them here. Bastard Canadian government.