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Author Topic: Playing under Houllier was a chore says Dunne  (Read 19375 times)

Online paul_e

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Re: Playing under Houllier was a chore says Dunne
« Reply #75 on: September 14, 2019, 09:29:01 PM »
I honestly think that season under McLeish pushes the relegation season for the most abject, we got more points but to take what was still a big part of a top 6 squad and park the bus home and away for an entire season was fucking horrible. He might have been a nice guy but he's the worst manager we've appointed in the last 30 odd years that I've been following the game, I can't think of a single thing that he did that was good for us.  It was so fucking abject that we begged for Lambert.

Offline PeterWithesShin

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Re: Playing under Houllier was a chore says Dunne
« Reply #76 on: September 14, 2019, 09:32:16 PM »
That season must be the most picked-over and analysed of all time. It must also be the only season where a team's supporters will argue until they're blue in the face that they should have finished lower.

I think we jumped 5 or 6 places on the final day. 9th isn’t bad overall but it just felt a false position based on how inept we had been over the whole season. But as they say, the table never lies

Last season we had a run of 2 wins in 13 and another of 2 wins in 14. 4 wins from 27 league games, so how is 5th not false as we were mediocre to shit and midtable for a lot of the season?

Offline Damo70

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Re: Playing under Houllier was a chore says Dunne
« Reply #77 on: September 14, 2019, 09:51:19 PM »
I honestly think that season under McLeish pushes the relegation season for the most abject, we got more points but to take what was still a big part of a top 6 squad and park the bus home and away for an entire season was fucking horrible. He might have been a nice guy but he's the worst manager we've appointed in the last 30 odd years that I've been following the game, I can't think of a single thing that he did that was good for us.  It was so fucking abject that we begged for Lambert.

I was incredibly underwhelmed by the McLeish appointment to say the least and obviously I wasn't the only one. Even though he won the Carling Cup how can you get Small Heath relegated and then walk into the Villa job? I tried to take some consolation in the fact he had done a reasonable job at Motherwell, Hibs, Rangers and Scotland but as much as I wanted him to succeed for Villa (and to stick it to the noses) it quickly became obvious it was not going to work out.

Offline PeterWithesShin

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Re: Playing under Houllier was a chore says Dunne
« Reply #78 on: September 14, 2019, 10:10:45 PM »
Along with thinking the manager of Shrewsbury is better than your current European Cup winning manager it remains the dumbest thing i've known Villa do in my 40+ years.

Offline Damo70

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Re: Playing under Houllier was a chore says Dunne
« Reply #79 on: September 14, 2019, 10:19:10 PM »
Along with thinking the manager of Shrewsbury is better than your current European Cup winning manager it remains the dumbest thing i've known Villa do in my 40+ years.

When we appointed the Shrewsbury manager (I still hate saying his name) I thought we had appointed a Doug puppet. By the time we got rid I thought he was a total Muppet.

Offline PeterWithesShin

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Re: Playing under Houllier was a chore says Dunne
« Reply #80 on: September 14, 2019, 10:24:14 PM »
We'd have been better appointing a sock puppet. In both cases.

Offline Toronto Villa

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Re: Playing under Houllier was a chore says Dunne
« Reply #81 on: September 14, 2019, 10:52:47 PM »
Along with thinking the manager of Shrewsbury is better than your current European Cup winning manager it remains the dumbest thing i've known Villa do in my 40+ years.

I remember when McLeish happened the sheer sense of disbelief both as the rumours were emerging and of course the appointment itself. It was one of those "nah, it can't be" moments. Yet I can only imagine had the internet existed in 1984 that it would have been a thousand times worse with the arrival of Turner.

Offline Damo70

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Re: Playing under Houllier was a chore says Dunne
« Reply #82 on: September 14, 2019, 11:03:07 PM »
Along with thinking the manager of Shrewsbury is better than your current European Cup winning manager it remains the dumbest thing i've known Villa do in my 40+ years.

I remember when McLeish happened the sheer sense of disbelief both as the rumours were emerging and of course the appointment itself. It was one of those "nah, it can't be" moments. Yet I can only imagine had the internet existed in 1984 that it would have been a thousand times worse with the arrival of Turner.


If I remember correctly news of the appointment of McLeish slowly filtered through on a Sunday afternoon and H&V became a rolling news station to rival SKY and CNN.

Offline PeterWithesShin

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Re: Playing under Houllier was a chore says Dunne
« Reply #83 on: September 14, 2019, 11:20:51 PM »
This is where McLeish started being mentioned more and more http://www.heroesandvillains.info/forumv3/index.php?topic=43650.5430

And when he resigned at the sty http://www.heroesandvillains.info/forumv3/index.php?topic=43650.5505
« Last Edit: September 14, 2019, 11:23:13 PM by PeterWithesShin »

Offline Risso

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Re: Playing under Houllier was a chore says Dunne
« Reply #84 on: September 15, 2019, 07:56:23 AM »
I think the lad on VT who spots planes had the first inkling, as he saw that Randy’s plane was in Italy where TSM was on holiday.

I’ll also never forget Krulak’s “Imagine how great he’ll be with Randy’s backing!!”

Spoiler: Turns out not that great.

Offline pauliewalnuts

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Re: Playing under Houllier was a chore says Dunne
« Reply #85 on: September 15, 2019, 10:14:38 AM »

I’ll also never forget Krulak’s “Imagine how great he’ll be with Randy’s backing!!”

That's the very quote I remember, too.

Offline CT

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Re: Playing under Houllier was a chore says Dunne
« Reply #86 on: September 15, 2019, 10:55:57 AM »
This is where McLeish started being mentioned more and more http://www.heroesandvillains.info/forumv3/index.php?topic=43650.5430

And when he resigned at the sty http://www.heroesandvillains.info/forumv3/index.php?topic=43650.5505

This one made me laugh, well, you have to laugh now don't you?

"Its not bad news, its just a bookie's odds.
McLeish isnt going to be Villa manager any more than Barbara Streissand.

Offline Risso

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Re: Playing under Houllier was a chore says Dunne
« Reply #87 on: September 15, 2019, 11:09:55 AM »
Christ, reading that brings back some horrible memories.


A couple of crackers from Mr Walnuts:

Quote
His favoured 10-0-0 formation is going to go down an absolute storm. I still don't believe they'd be that stupid, but if they were, then really, they deserve all they get.

Quote
So, two weeks ago, all the talk of Ancelotti and Benitez and co.

Now, we're looking at McLeish, having been turned down by Wigan's manager?

That's a bit like trying to shag Megan Fox but ending up in bed with Sonia from Eastenders.

Offline Damo70

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Re: Playing under Houllier was a chore says Dunne
« Reply #88 on: September 15, 2019, 11:44:51 AM »
This is where McLeish started being mentioned more and more http://www.heroesandvillains.info/forumv3/index.php?topic=43650.5430

And when he resigned at the sty http://www.heroesandvillains.info/forumv3/index.php?topic=43650.5505


I have just skimmed through the posts from the Sunday and Monday when the speculation over our imminent new manager centred mainly on Moyes and Hughes and then slowly diverted to McLeish despite most on here going into denial. There then follows a long drip drip of speculation, information and statements eventually ending in confirmation. Even nearly a decade later following the events on H&V makes for surreal reading today just as much as it did back then.

Offline SoccerHQ

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Re: Playing under Houllier was a chore says Dunne
« Reply #89 on: September 15, 2019, 12:47:38 PM »
That season must be the most picked-over and analysed of all time. It must also be the only season where a team's supporters will argue until they're blue in the face that they should have finished lower.

I think we jumped 5 or 6 places on the final day. 9th isn’t bad overall but it just felt a false position based on how inept we had been over the whole season. But as they say, the table never lies

It dosen't but every club will have a season where they finish much higher than they should and then gravity kicks in the next year.  In the three years under MON finishing 6th we were in the top 6 for the majority of those seasons so you knew that was the range we'd be finshing in May.

As you say in 10/11 we must've spent about five months of that season somewhere in the bottom half. Probably makes it worse when you think with the likes of Young and Downing around and Bent added mid season it was still comfortably a top 10 squad so we should've still been in the top half for most of that season.

Anyway I wouldn't say actually finishing 9th was the mutual consent decision regarding Houllier, it was more his heart putting him out of action again just after the West Ham game in April so I think it was very understandable of the club to look at the bigger picture and not put him through more stress in 11/12 season.

The collective heart rate of the Holte end then went up with McLeish being appointed!

 


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