The future of Houllier and McAllister?

[The Situation]

I'm not keen on McAllister, but I'd be very happy if Houllier were to stay on as Manager.

I concur. Thread title amendment on way.

Legion, I can't believe you changed it!  It was meant to be a statement!

I still think that if those two clowns are anywhere near VP next season it's going to be a long and painful year.  I still haven't renewed my season ticket and Randy giving his backing to those two eejits could be enough to make me think of everything else I could spend that £500 on.

Tbf, Houllier has had to deal with lots of circumstances this season.

Why not let him start a fresh? Bring in some more players, get rid of the ones he doesn't want, get a good pre-season under his belt and lets see what we can do next season?

I can see the potential with Houllier, it's just whether his health stays in remission.

I don't know about getting rid of him only after one season, give him more time, if he can't make us progress then we should look and re-evaluate perhaps. Don't write someone off after one season.

I just think it's too big a risk.  In the space of one season we've gone from a team that was consistently top 6 and challenging for top 4 to one that has flirted with relegation for the whole season.  In my mind that is a massive backward step.  What happens if next year sees another backward step?  We will be relegated.

And there's nothing I've seen to suggest next year will be any different.  The players are undoubtedly better than 13th in the league yet they haven't performed to the level we know they can.  Of course an element of this is down to them but for so many players to all have bad seasons has got to be down to the management team.  They don't appear to be able to motivate, I'm not convinced they are tactical geniuses, they haven't blown me away with their transfer dealings.  Seriously, where are the positives?

Absolutely, there have been circumstances during this season which have made the job tougher but I don't even think they've done the best in the circumstances. 

And don't even get me started on the PR car-crashes we've witnessed this year.

Time to accept the appointment hasn't worked out and move on.

You can look at it two ways.

You can look at it in a really negative way saying it's been a waste of a season etc or you can look at it in a positive way saying since we've signed Bent we've improved only losing 3 games.

No-one is denying it's been a disappointing season going from top 6 to bottom 6, but since the signing of Bent you can't deny we've been doing a lot better before we signed Bent.

The problem with Villa fans is that for whatever reason we attract a very negative bunch who don't think outside the box only focusing on the negatives and not the positives. Pretty much most people on here were completely writing ourselves off against Arsenal - we win, the doom and gloom merchants go into hiding. That's just one example.

I will tell you why we've been so poor this season:
Dropped the most points from leading positions
Second most conceded goals from set-pieces
Awful defending in general

Those are the 3 things which have led to a disappointing season. If we can get those issues sorted what makes you think we'll have a same sort of season next season?

No-one seems to have any patience. Yes, it's been a frustrating season and yes at times I've complained about Houllier, but atleast I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and give him time.

Lets see what he can do next season.

It's not that we're a bad team, it's because we haven't been able to defend very well this season. Poor defending has been our downfall this season.

[brontebilly]

According to Guillem Balague, Villa want to keep Houllier and reduce the workload. But I'm not sure that's a good idea. Apparently Houllier's style is to work 12-14 hours a day. If he cannot carry on as before (in terms of workload), then I think he should quit.

Obviously, results have been poor, but I don't agree that Houllier has been a disaster. People keep refering to last season's sixth place, ignoring that what MON left behind was basically a good first eleven, but beyond that there were only failed investments (Beye, Sidwell, Davies and Heskey) and promising but not-yet-ready youngsters. Adding that our best and most important player last season was sold and not replaced; that our second best player came back in pre-season unfit and out of sorts; that the likes of Petrov, Friedel and Carew were increasingly past their best, and it's clear that Houllier was dealt a bad hand.

Even if he has made some (big) mistakes, Houllier has also brought the club's training schedule from the stone age and into the 21st century, signed a striker who can score goals and given some of our youngsters hope that they can actually break into the first eleven.

If he is to leave this summer, I hope the most level-headed supporters will remember this as well as his antics at Anfield and the surrender against City in the Cup, and realize that he wasn't all bad.

A manager lives by his results and his have been shocking. Also you fail to mention his bizarre man management, player selection and tactics. Milner was certainly a loss but he still inherited the best Villa defence in years and collectively and individually they have gone to pieces. There was a bad run of injuries, Dunne particularly and others came back from pre season in a mess, age also caught up with others but being a manager is about managing situations and players and getting the best out the resources at his disposal. Houllier has failed absymally to do this.

The defence Ive already mentioned but Gabby and Carew, 33 goals last season. Gabby only got 5 this term, Carew zero and has left on a free. Then the ridiculous pandering to Ashley Young and the 3 wingers, playing Gabby wide, not playing Reo Coker at Old Trafford. It was just a litany of bad decisions after one another not even taking into account the farcical stunts at Liverpool and City. I can only think the positives of his reign were getting in Walker and Bent. Clark and Albrighton did come through and a few others also got chances. But arguably it was the injury crisis that forced that anyway.

Also Id have taken a stone age training schedule if it would have meant two decent cup runs and a shot at qualifying for the Champions League. He did try to introduce more passing to our side but tactically we were just a mess throughout the season. I always had the sense too that Houllier hadnt the heart to be dealing with players anymore, trying to coax the likes of Stephen Ireland into form just didnt interest him I felt.

I think Houllier has good ideas about the game but as a football manager his day is done. Maybe he could be kept on as a director with no first team interference. Reorganising the club re scouting etc that MON never bothered to but there imo should be no doubt from any Villa supporter that we must get a new manager in asap.

[villa-love]

Ged has his return appointment at the Q E on 3rd June so we won't know anything til after then I dont think..

[Ad@m]

Clark and Albrighton did come through and a few others also got chances. But arguably it was the injury crisis that forced that anyway.

And wasn't it Kev Mac who started playing them?

[abc123cox]

I'm not keen on McAllister, but I'd be very happy if Houllier were to stay on as Manager.

I concur. Thread title amendment on way.

Legion, I can't believe you changed it!  It was meant to be a statement!

I still think that if those two clowns are anywhere near VP next season it's going to be a long and painful year.  I still haven't renewed my season ticket and Randy giving his backing to those two eejits could be enough to make me think of everything else I could spend that £500 on.

Tbf, Houllier has had to deal with lots of circumstances this season.

Why not let him start a fresh? Bring in some more players, get rid of the ones he doesn't want, get a good pre-season under his belt and lets see what we can do next season?

I can see the potential with Houllier, it's just whether his health stays in remission.

I don't know about getting rid of him only after one season, give him more time, if he can't make us progress then we should look and re-evaluate perhaps. Don't write someone off after one season.

totally 110% agree with this

[Percy McCarthy]

The problem with Villa fans is that for whatever reason we attract a very negative bunch who don't think outside the box only focusing on the negatives and not the positives.

I would agree with that, considering how miserable people were for the two years previous when we were a good side, but I think people have been unbelievably positive this year bearing in mind how shit it's been.

[Dante Lavelli]

Maclaren and Houllier as Dof football might actually work.  IF the villa faithful get behind them both.

[The Moose]

Sack 'em both. Does anybody seriously believe these two clowns will improve us next year? All they've done is go back to the set-up and tactics that MON used. Where's the progress in that?
Get rid.

[Chris Smith]

Whoever is in charge next season is going have a tough job uniting both players and fans. I don't think any of the names touted will meet with universal support and we already know that many are against the current team staying in charge. A poor start and we'll be in for another 9 months of acrimony.

[sfx412]

Houllier continuing is lunacy.

I'm sure his wife and family feel that. The danger is the sitting tenant, so to speak, will continue in the job perhaps with some Houllier input.
If that happens it confirms the Villa Board and management don't have a footballing clue.

I read some, not all of these gripes, about this season and few seem to remember the state of the squad, how poorly prepared it was and how as a result it ran up a huge list of injuries. I kept hearing all this talk of new stars, yada, yada, yada, and we kept losing, none of them have lasted.
Ged's tough training methods led to some crying off, but enough points, aided by Geds star buy Bent.
Even then Houllier has to go and get hospitalised when results started to work out. The season has been full of disruptions, little or no continuity at any level.
In all honesty avoiding relegation was a well done, achievement 

[sfx412]

Whoever is in charge next season is going have a tough job uniting both players and fans. I don't think any of the names touted will meet with universal support and we already know that many are against the current team staying in charge. A poor start and we'll be in for another 9 months of acrimony.

All the more reason to get the prevarication over and the job done.

Are the Board up to hard decisions I wonder, they certainly do not appear to do quick ones.

[The Situation]

All they've done is go back to the set-up and tactics that MON used. Where's the progress in that?
Get rid.

LOL!

[brian green]

Firstly I object to the sweeping generalization that Villa attracts negative supporters.   Stereotypical bollocks of the very worst sort.

As for Gerard Houllier his health should be our first consideration.   Common decency demands it.   More stress of the kind he experienced when taking on the O'Neill gang would quite probably kill him.   He must not allow himself to be put in that position and we must not expect it of him.   Retire Gerard.   Enjoy your life.   Take McAllister with you.

[Salsa Party Animal]

if GH work say 14 hours a day and we should reduce it to say 7 hours a day.

A director can reduce his workload - Handling all transfer activity in buying, sellling, wages, bonus.

A good assistant - can deal with media enquiry and overall running of football club

Manager should make decision to buy/sell players, organise and watch coaching, pick team and tactics and set up policies for club and talk to media and watch matches for scouting new players.

2 hours on planning and talking to coaching staff.
3 hours on training ground
2 hours to watch football / talk to media.

[Villa'Zawg]

Houllier continuing is lunacy.

I'm sure his wife and family feel that. The danger is the sitting tenant, so to speak, will continue in the job perhaps with some Houllier input.
If that happens it confirms the Villa Board and management don't have a footballing clue.

I read some, not all of these gripes, about this season and few seem to remember the state of the squad, how poorly prepared it was and how as a result it ran up a huge list of injuries. I kept hearing all this talk of new stars, yada, yada, yada, and we kept losing, none of them have lasted.
Ged's tough training methods led to some crying off, but enough points, aided by Geds star buy Bent.
Even then Houllier has to go and get hospitalised when results started to work out. The season has been full of disruptions, little or no continuity at any level.
In all honesty avoiding relegation was a well done, achievement 

You are a star.

Your first 3 sentences make sense but then you crowbar in your O'Neill thing and end up saying Houllier has achieved "a well done, achievement"