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

[Concrete John]

The way I see it is the story broke yesterday in the local press and the red tops have now picked it up and need to add something (as in it's not mutual consent) to spice it up a bit and make them seem more informed than they really are.  I can see there being some behind the scenes wrangling over the exact settlement figure, but I still think it'll be an amicable parting of ways in the end.

As for Hughes, I said yesterday he's who I expect to see coming in, even if he's not my pick.  But as he's the logical choice and would fit the presses view of us, this could easily be them putting 2 and 2 together and again trying to portray some non-existant insider knowledge.  Think what happened when Houllier came in - let's hope he's the new Bob Bradley!! 

[Greg N'Ash]

while i agree its the clubs decision, if you were in any other job and you were sacked when you had been given a bill of clean health after an illness, the company would be in deep crap, and rightly so. The board have to tread carefully

[Merv]

Can't compare moyes and Hughes really. Hughes has no track record apart from  failing miserably at being a chequebook manager. Yeah he did ok at Blackburn but they were horrible horrible team with no redeeming features.

I've answered this on the new manager thread, Greg.

[mazrimsbruv]

Hughes would be a terrible appointment at a time when, as has been pointed out on here, the Club has an opportunity to make a statement.

Appointing Hughes just says: "We are a club with limited ambition. We are happy to just bob around mid-table, have the odd cup run and avoid relegation."

To the 'want-away' players it says: "You are right to want away. We will never even remotely worry the teams in the Champions League places."

To the likes of Darren Bent it says: "Call your agent and engineer a move away from here at the earliest opportunity."

Looking at the calibre of the managers currently out of work around Europe, as well as those who could reasonably be tempted into joining us, this would be a massive mistake and I really hope the papers have made this up (as in: "Villa have got no money and are a similiar size to Fulham and Hughes would be cheap = Hughes to Villa).

I'm shocked and disappointed at how many people on here would accept Hughes as a decent appointment.

You might as well scrub out the 'Bright Future' and just leave the 'Proud History'.

[pablopicasso_10]

The way I see it is the story broke yesterday in the local press and the red tops have now picked it up and need to add something (as in it's not mutual consent) to spice it up a bit and make them seem more informed than they really are.  I can see there being some behind the scenes wrangling over the exact settlement figure, but I still think it'll be an amicable parting of ways in the end.   

this...

[eastie]

Hughes would be a terrible appointment at a time when, as has been pointed out on here, the Club has an opportunity to make a statement.

Appointing Hughes just says: "We are a club with limited ambition. We are happy to just bob around mid-table, have the odd cup run and avoid relegation."

To the 'want-away' players it says: "You are right to want away. We will never even remotely worry the teams in the Champions League places."

To the likes of Darren Bent it says: "Call your agent and engineer a move away from here at the earliest opportunity."

Looking at the calibre of the managers currently out of work around Europe, as well as those who could reasonably be tempted into joining us, this would be a massive mistake and I really hope the papers have made this up (as in: "Villa have got no money and are a similiar size to Fulham and Hughes would be cheap = Hughes to Villa).

I'm shocked and disappointed at how many people on here would accept Hughes as a decent appointment.

You might as well scrub out the 'Bright Future' and just leave the 'Proud History'.

Whoever comes in i think we can forget about the champions league for the foreseeable future unless randy has 100m or so to pump in each summer-the gap now is huge and growing wider, i think whoever comes in will be looking at top 6 and europa league as realistic ambitions and maybe grab a cup.

[Summers]

When did the Europa League start to mean nothing to our club? We don't seem to take it seriously - but that's stupid. Okay, it isn't the CL, it's still a prestigious competition that we should try and win when we get the chance to.

[Dave Cooper please]

Just read the last few pages. Very entertaining reading.

This.

Although I am now confused as to how many points we finished with!

48 POINTS!  48 POINTS!!!!

[Whiney MacWhineface]

I've now cross-referenced 267 different sites offering league tables from last season, but to be honest I still wasn't quite sure about our finishing number of points. But then those last four exclamation points finally swayed me. 48 it is then.

That was tough - thanks Dave!!!!

[Concrete John]

Whoever comes in i think we can forget about the champions league for the foreseeable future unless randy has 100m or so to pump in each summer-the gap now is huge and growing wider, i think whoever comes in will be looking at top 6 and europa league as realistic ambitions and maybe grab a cup.

See, I simply don't accept that.

What we should be doing is looking at what we need to get into the top 4 and seeing how best to achieve that with our resources.  We're not paupers, but also don't have the money to buy pur way in a la Man City.  So it's a matter of focusing what we do have and maximising every pound spent.

Here's an example blueprint:-
We have a decent squad that looked dis-organised and unmotivated last year, so get a manager (Moyes) who can get the best out of them by addressing those issues.  To build further, get the scouting to be top notch (maybe a job for Houllier?) so that we're getting £10m players for £5m and so on.  Continue to develop the youth so that they take places saving money for other areas and/or a top notch £20m signing.

Do that and we won't be far away!   

[eastie]

Whoever comes in i think we can forget about the champions league for the foreseeable future unless randy has 100m or so to pump in each summer-the gap now is huge and growing wider, i think whoever comes in will be looking at top 6 and europa league as realistic ambitions and maybe grab a cup.

See, I simply don't accept that.

What we should be doing is looking at what we need to get into the top 4 and seeing how best to achieve that with our resources.  We're not paupers, but also don't have the money to buy pur way in a la Man City.  So it's a matter of focusing what we do have and maximising every pound spent.

Here's an example blueprint:-
We have a decent squad that looked dis-organised and unmotivated last year, so get a manager (Moyes) who can get the best out of them by addressing those issues.  To build further, get the scouting to be top notch (maybe a job for Houllier?) so that we're getting £10m players for £5m and so on.  Continue to develop the youth so that they take places saving money for other areas and/or a top notch £20m signing.

Do that and we won't be far away!   

Without huge and substantial investment the champions league is just a dream, arsenal and man u have huge attendances and cash and man city and chelsea have pots of cash to spend , we are very much in the bracket of everton and maybe a bit behind spurs and competing for a top 6 place in my view-it took city over £200m to break the top 4 and the gap is far wider now than when randy took over.

I  reluctantly have reassessed my hopes and now top 6 and a cup seem realistic aims to me.
Sadly when we get good players coming through they are being picked off by the richer clubs and its very hard to stop that happening in the current football climate- the game is now very different from the 80s.

[PaulWinch again]

So no new developments on this then?

[Mister E]

Hughes would be a terrible appointment at a time when, as has been pointed out on here, the Club has an opportunity to make a statement.

Appointing Hughes just says: "We are a club with limited ambition. We are happy to just bob around mid-table, have the odd cup run and avoid relegation."

To the 'want-away' players it says: "You are right to want away. We will never even remotely worry the teams in the Champions League places."

To the likes of Darren Bent it says: "Call your agent and engineer a move away from here at the earliest opportunity."

Looking at the calibre of the managers currently out of work around Europe, as well as those who could reasonably be tempted into joining us, this would be a massive mistake and I really hope the papers have made this up (as in: "Villa have got no money and are a similiar size to Fulham and Hughes would be cheap = Hughes to Villa).

I'm shocked and disappointed at how many people on here would accept Hughes as a decent appointment.

You might as well scrub out the 'Bright Future' and just leave the 'Proud History'.

Think I agree with this.
I'm oscillating between GHou + young, up-and-coming manager (although I suspect GHou's involvement is fast-becoming unlikely) and a proven European manager of Ancelotti / Van Gaal proportions (with all the risks that they may simply bugger offf when a 'better' club comes calling).
Maybe the compromise is a Jol / Hughton combination, if that could be put together to the satisfaction of all parties.
Whatever, I do think it is time to be brave: we have a good crop of youngsters who need to feel that they are going to move forward, with opportunties to shine, led by a highly-respected management team with lasting ambition for AVFC. Rather than see a first-team squad compiled from tried-and-tested but limited professional, led by a management team with limited ambition.

[Concrete John]

Whoever comes in i think we can forget about the champions league for the foreseeable future unless randy has 100m or so to pump in each summer-the gap now is huge and growing wider, i think whoever comes in will be looking at top 6 and europa league as realistic ambitions and maybe grab a cup.

See, I simply don't accept that.

What we should be doing is looking at what we need to get into the top 4 and seeing how best to achieve that with our resources.  We're not paupers, but also don't have the money to buy pur way in a la Man City.  So it's a matter of focusing what we do have and maximising every pound spent.

Here's an example blueprint:-
We have a decent squad that looked dis-organised and unmotivated last year, so get a manager (Moyes) who can get the best out of them by addressing those issues.  To build further, get the scouting to be top notch (maybe a job for Houllier?) so that we're getting £10m players for £5m and so on.  Continue to develop the youth so that they take places saving money for other areas and/or a top notch £20m signing.

Do that and we won't be far away!   

Without huge and substantial investment the champions league is just a dream, arsenal and man u have huge attendances and cash and man city and chelsea have pots of cash to spend , we are very much in the bracket of everton and maybe a bit behind spurs and competing for a top 6 place in my view-it took city over £200m to break the top 4 and the gap is far wider now than when randy took over.

I  reluctantly have reassessed my hopes and now top 6 and a cup seem realistic aims to me.
Sadly when we get good players coming through they are being picked off by the richer clubs and its very hard to stop that happening in the current football climate- the game is now very different from the 80s.

Whoever comes in i think we can forget about the champions league for the foreseeable future unless randy has 100m or so to pump in each summer-the gap now is huge and growing wider, i think whoever comes in will be looking at top 6 and europa league as realistic ambitions and maybe grab a cup.

See, I simply don't accept that.

What we should be doing is looking at what we need to get into the top 4 and seeing how best to achieve that with our resources.  We're not paupers, but also don't have the money to buy pur way in a la Man City.  So it's a matter of focusing what we do have and maximising every pound spent.

Here's an example blueprint:-
We have a decent squad that looked dis-organised and unmotivated last year, so get a manager (Moyes) who can get the best out of them by addressing those issues.  To build further, get the scouting to be top notch (maybe a job for Houllier?) so that we're getting £10m players for £5m and so on.  Continue to develop the youth so that they take places saving money for other areas and/or a top notch £20m signing.

Do that and we won't be far away!   

Without huge and substantial investment the champions league is just a dream, arsenal and man u have huge attendances and cash and man city and chelsea have pots of cash to spend , we are very much in the bracket of everton and maybe a bit behind spurs and competing for a top 6 place in my view-it took city over £200m to break the top 4 and the gap is far wider now than when randy took over.

I  reluctantly have reassessed my hopes and now top 6 and a cup seem realistic aims to me.
Sadly when we get good players coming through they are being picked off by the richer clubs and its very hard to stop that happening in the current football climate- the game is now very different from the 80s.

Whoever comes in i think we can forget about the champions league for the foreseeable future unless randy has 100m or so to pump in each summer-the gap now is huge and growing wider, i think whoever comes in will be looking at top 6 and europa league as realistic ambitions and maybe grab a cup.

See, I simply don't accept that.

What we should be doing is looking at what we need to get into the top 4 and seeing how best to achieve that with our resources.  We're not paupers, but also don't have the money to buy pur way in a la Man City.  So it's a matter of focusing what we do have and maximising every pound spent.

Here's an example blueprint:-
We have a decent squad that looked dis-organised and unmotivated last year, so get a manager (Moyes) who can get the best out of them by addressing those issues.  To build further, get the scouting to be top notch (maybe a job for Houllier?) so that we're getting £10m players for £5m and so on.  Continue to develop the youth so that they take places saving money for other areas and/or a top notch £20m signing.

Do that and we won't be far away!   

Without huge and substantial investment the champions league is just a dream, arsenal and man u have huge attendances and cash and man city and chelsea have pots of cash to spend , we are very much in the bracket of everton and maybe a bit behind spurs and competing for a top 6 place in my view-it took city over £200m to break the top 4 and the gap is far wider now than when randy took over.

I  reluctantly have reassessed my hopes and now top 6 and a cup seem realistic aims to me.
Sadly when we get good players coming through they are being picked off by the richer clubs and its very hard to stop that happening in the current football climate- the game is now very different from the 80s.

Yet Arsenal are there and stay there with relatively little spent.

Also, some similarities can be seen between us and Spurs, who got there:-  been close for a few years, then change the manager and fall back, but change again shortly afterwards and get there.  And for all the talk of £200m, we were a Darren Bent away under MON.

You may be right, but I see a danger to limiting ourselves to top 6 and a cup run here and there.  Lets try to be as good as we can and see where that takes us.   

[eastie]

So no new developments on this then?

the rumour is houllier has medical proof he is ok and wants to stay and villa refuse to accept that so it seems more of a sacking than a mutual decision, looks like we may have to pay him a substantial payoff.