Official - Houllier leaves by mutual consent (p.28)

[Phil from the upper holte]

So has he gone or not?

[bob]

Benitez or Ancelotti for me.

Am I reading too much into Jack's eyebrow comment?

[Concrete John]

Just logged in to see this and am slightly shocked as I wasn't expecting anything today.  A few thoughts:-
1.  I hope his health holds up and he was a long and happy retirement.
2.  I think the board handled things right by not having any knee-jerk reactions, waiting and then doing it with the doctor's advice and Gezza himself in agreement.
3.  They now have a whole summer to find someone and none of the excuses of bad timing from last season can be used.  Big challenge for the board.
4.  It will be interesting to see which way they jump.  Were they happy with the direction Gezza was taking us and will employ a similar coach, or will they get a Moyes/Hughes type, which is more of a return to MON's methods?   

It'll be an interesting few days/weeks ahead!!

[eastie]

No to Moyes he has hit the glass ceiling that MON hit, Hughes no cause he may want to keep Ireland. The stick we have given FSW no way. How about Martinez, young up and coming and can spot a player wh is not going to cost a bomb, good style of play too.

mon spent a fortune hitting that glass ceiling , moyes didnt have anything like that cash at everton.

[dave.woodhall]

Let's ignore the troll and continue the discussion like adults.

[Merv]

They have 'acted. Then Merv ?

Looks to me they are still denying what many accept as fact and whilst I agree the way Chelsea and the others acted was not 'nice' or suited to the bleeding hearts club, it was decisive.

It is sad to see Ged go in such circumstances, but when he went into hospital his management became untenable or are there people who really feel he will remain as manager.

You'll have to explain that top line - the opening five words - to me again. It doesn't make sense to me.

What are you actually arguing? That Villa haven't been decisive enough? I think we all accept that the decision has been made, it's a matter of the announcement being timed and a couple of extremely well-informed local journalists have got there first (as the media often do). I'm not sure now what your grumble is: that Villa should have done something when Houllier was in hospital?

[sfx412]

what are you saying malcolm ? is your point that the story has been leaked by the press before the board released the news?

Partly.

Yet again, as with Mon leaving, his tribunal, Houlliers illness, our club management has and is handling the media poorly.

[DeKuip]

If all this does turn out to be true then it's a great shame that we'll never get to know what might have been, had GH had full pre-season and with some of his own choice of signings. At least his reign could then have been judged more fairly. Sadly we're now back to square one it seems.

Best wishes for the future Gerard.

[CJ]

Sorry to see him go tbh. Never fully connected to him and had severe doubts after the Liverpool and Citeh issues, but I would have liked to see him have a full pre-season with a clear out and bringing in players to suit his style.  But his heart problem would have been a sword of Damocles hanging over us all season so best for all that he moves on.

Whoever we get in it must be someone who can command the respect of the players from day one. I don't want to see more players whingeing about training too hard or not liking the style of play - as Fergie apparently said to Rooney during that game at the weekend - 'I'm the manager, just fucking do it'

[hilts_coolerking]

If the story is true, as it appears to be, then I think it is in the best interests of both Houllier and Aston Villa.

I was distinctly underwhelemed by his appointment at the time, as it was a backwards-looking move.  It was said at the time, and still is, that he was the best candidate.  That may or may not be the case; if he was, it was probably because we inexplicably limited our search to out of work managers.  In any case, he hadn't been a club manager for a couple of years, hadn't been in the Premier League for longer than that, and hadn't been successful in the Premier League for even longer.  His reputation rested largely on one golden season 10 years ago.  Add to that the concern about his previous health problems and it seemed an appointment that had the potential to go very wrong.

Which it did.  He was unfortunate in having to deal with horrendous injury problems but was fortunate, to a degree, in having plenty of very talented young players coming through at just the right time.  He was unfortunate in having to deal with dreadful unprofessionalism from some of the players upon whom he should have been able to rely but probably tried to change too much too fast, which is bound to upset people; the collapse of a previously very strong defence is something he has to take some of the blame for.  The misjudgments about his Liverpool comments and the capitulation in the FA Cup were all his own doing, upset the fans and were completely avoidable.  And then his health failed him again which, while not inevitable, was always a possibility.  Yes, we finished 9th but we were also relegation candidates with only 2 or 3 games to go and I think that's a truer reflection of our season.

So I think it's best for Gerard to forget about football, as far as that is possible for him, get better and enjoy retirement.  He seems a throughly decent and intelligent man and I wish him well.

As for Villa, I reckon we need to do something we rarely do: appoint a manager with a truly top class track record.  A manager whose arrival will surprise us, improve us and excite us as much as the arrival of Darren Bent did.

[ktvillan]

GH has made a lot of bad moves such as trying to change things too quickly, Anfield and Citeh in the cup but I liked what I was hearing about him instilling discipline at the training ground, trying to play a more technique based game and some of the potential signings we've been linked with. I think it's a shame if we don't get to see what he could do with a squad with some of his own signings and fully behind him with a full pre season. 

[Legion]

what are you saying malcolm ? is your point that the story has been leaked by the press before the board released the news?

Partly.

Yet again, as with Mon leaving, his tribunal, Houlliers illness, our club management has and is handling the media poorly.

Are you for real?

[Clampy]

I personally think it's best all round. We finished in a healthy position in the league, and although the table dose'nt lie, it did'nt really tell the whole story of the season. We looked poor for most of it and while there were signs that his methods were going somewhere, it was always one step forward and two steps back, the Man City game being the main game in point.

If his time with us leaves behind a class act of a midfielder (time will tell) and many more Darren Bent goals, then i'm sure he goes with many people's thanks and welcomed back. Long term, it just was'nt to be.

My choice before GH got the job was Martin Jol, although Ancelotti and Wilkins would be fantastic.

[Chris Jameson]

what are you saying malcolm ? is your point that the story has been leaked by the press before the board released the news?

Partly.

Yet again, as with Mon leaving, his tribunal, Houlliers illness, our club management has and is handling the media poorly.

Damn. I try my hardest to ignore most of your moronic outpourings but this one is quite spectacular even by your low, low standards. Care to explain?

[jonzy85]

3.  They now have a whole summer to find someone and none of the excuses of bad timing from last season can be used.  Big challenge for the board.

They dont have the whole summer though. It is imperative that we get a new manager in quickly. If they act as slowly as they did last time, the new manager will have less time to make signings and the players at the club will grow more and more restless at the uncertainty.

No reason why we shouldnt have a new man in place by the 3rd week in June, assuming Houllier is leaving by tomorrow.

Ancelotti is certainly the glamour candidate, but I would have a nagging doubt about whether he could do it at Villa. I dont need to be told about the trophies he has won, but I cant help feeling that he has somewhat spoiled by the players he has had at his disposal at both Chelsea and AC Milan. Might he struggle to get the best out of a lower calibre team as he struggled to get the best out of Chelsea's superstars last season?

It's just a nagging doubt I have about him. If he was appointed I would be very happy to see what he could do.

I would also be happy with Moyes. He has brought Everton as far as he can unless they get a sudden investment. I think if he is given the funds at Villa he could take us to the new level.