Albrighton Going to Leicester

[Toronto Villa]

Makoun only played seven games for us.

I can't really see any circumstances under which that would be enough of a sample to form a realistic opinion of him.

Michael Bradley was written-off after the whole team surrendered at Citeh in the cup. Did we get any money back on Makoun?

Blimey another guy a wish we had kept. He ended up at Roma and had a really good spell there. He definitely could have made it in the PL. Just look at the calibre of player we went from acquiring or just being linked with to what we ended up doing under Lambert.

*cries*

[Jimbo]

There's a lot of misty-eyed revisionism over the Houllier chapter, and quite frankly it's baffling. He was largely poor, had little understanding of the club and its culture, blatantly threw in the towel in the FA Cup and was looking decidedly vulnerable before he was given a now unthinkable amount of money to buy Darren Bent, whose goals kept us up. Our upturn in fortunes at the end of that season occurred when Houllier was in l'hopital, and the largely unpopular Gary McAllister took control.

Our capitulation at home to the dogheads in March was a classic Houllier performance, listless, chaotic, complacent, all with a team containing the likes of Young, Downing, Bent, Makoun and Cuellar. I'd argue that with the current crop of crap at Villa, Houllier would have taken us down like a concrete balloon. He was a dreadful appointment.

[rob_bridge]

There's a lot of misty-eyed revisionism over the Houllier chapter, and quite frankly it's baffling. He was largely poor, had little understanding of the club and its culture, blatantly threw in the towel in the FA Cup and was looking decidedly vulnerable before he was given a now unthinkable amount of money to buy Darren Bent, whose goals kept us up. Our upturn in fortunes at the end of that season occurred when Houllier was in l'hopital, and the largely unpopular Gary McAllister took control.

Our capitulation at home to the dogheads in March was a classic Houllier performance, listless, chaotic, complacent, all with a team containing the likes of Young, Downing, Bent, Makoun and Cuellar. I'd argue that with the current crop of crap at Villa, Houllier would have taken us down like a concrete balloon. He was a dreadful appointment.

Completely correct Jimbo. He belittled the club in a manner akin to DOL.

A baffling, stupid, naieve and ill though out appointment - that is when he was finally available to work for us. It was an early warning sign of the recruitment ineptitude of Lerner and Faulkner.

Giving the Villa job, one of the hardest in football, to someone who had a history of heart disease was stupid. There is actually no other word for it.

Just glad he didn't croak on our watch.

The Wolves game was a low - his excuse was the players hadn't recovered from the Bolton game 2 weeks earlier. Well that was his job to make sure they were recovered.

The fact he was followed by the appalling McLeish means people look back more fondly on his 'reign'

Not me.

[AV82EC]

There's a lot of misty-eyed revisionism over the Houllier chapter, and quite frankly it's baffling. He was largely poor, had little understanding of the club and its culture, blatantly threw in the towel in the FA Cup and was looking decidedly vulnerable before he was given a now unthinkable amount of money to buy Darren Bent, whose goals kept us up. Our upturn in fortunes at the end of that season occurred when Houllier was in l'hopital, and the largely unpopular Gary McAllister took control.

Our capitulation at home to the dogheads in March was a classic Houllier performance, listless, chaotic, complacent, all with a team containing the likes of Young, Downing, Bent, Makoun and Cuellar. I'd argue that with the current crop of crap at Villa, Houllier would have taken us down like a concrete balloon. He was a dreadful appointment.

I don't think there is revisionism.  We played some of the best football we'd played in years under Houllier even though it didn't garner the results we were looking for.  I would concur that he didn't get the club and his Liverpool and man Citeh antics were extremely disrespectful but he was quite candid in his criticisms of what had gone on under the previous regime and the unprofessionalism of large numbers of the playing squad, primarily the defenders! Also let's not forget when he arrived we had at one point in November 12 first team players injured for nearly 4 weeks and he really was down to bare bones trying to get a team on the pitch.

The problem with Houllier was he should have been made DoF and restructured the football side of the club.

It may be rose tinted spectacles but I often think back wistfully to that late autumnal afternoon against Man united and 30 minutes of a second half when we ripped them to pieces, Bannan and Hogg looking like Xavi and Iniesta, Downing, Young, Albrighton and Gabby making United look second rate, 2-0 up chances galore, hit the  bar, Albrightons header wide, gabby misses......and we drew 2-2.  For me that one glimpse showed what we could have become and I know it's all ifs buts and maybes but that's why I'm willing to cut Houllier some slack.  I absolutely understand why people don't like him but we had glimpses that season of what might have been and he'd have rid the club of wankers like Dunne and Warnock as well.

I'm also nearly 3 years on scratching my head at how we lost that Bolton away game.

[curiousorange]

My recollections of that Houllier season were of frustration and growing apathy. I think he definitely benefitted from the retention of our last few quality players, but largely the side didn't settle or show anything like the consistency suggested. Some of the points earned were not just nervy, they were downright fortunate.

The manner in which we finished the season has given us a rose-tinted view, but that Sunderland game at home which we lost was one of the most poisonous evenings i've ever known. Houllier may have come good, but in my view time has flattered him.

[Clampy]

Houiller's season tended to be a case of one step forward then two steps back. Like Lambert, I liked the players he brought in and I reckon Makoun would have been a better version of Westwood had he been given a proper run. That Man City cup game left a bit of a bitter taste though.

[Jimbo]

Some of the best football in years? Genuinely, I don't recall that. I do recall an attempt to play better football, with players who weren't used to or equipped for it. I remember a lot of square balls in our own half in an attempt to get a feel of the ball, but with little penetration. I heard a lot - and I mean a lot - of people saying " I can see what he's trying to do." But he didn't do it. There were flashes of good football, but we've had flashes under Lambert, not least at Liverpool last season. But that's all they were, brief candles amid the raging wind of ineptitude.

Rob is right. Houllier gets let off the hook because of who followed him. Both were dreadful appointments.

[silhillvilla]

Houllier was a shocking manager, worse than DOL and Eck.
His strange antics at Anfield made my stomach turn. Absolute bell end.

[paul_e]

I thought Houllier was setting us on the right path and I think if we'd had 2-3 more years of him we'd be in a significantly better place.

I didn't like him but I did trust him to get it right, McLeish and Lambert I like but I never trusted McLeish to do the right thing for us and I don't trust Lambert any more.

[silhillvilla]

Another month with houllier we'd have been relegated. Shocking manager and woeful appointment. Le consultant , ooh la la.

[Rolta]

For me the Houllier era was an example of how impatient and spoilt the fanbase can be. We'd had no investment that summer (Lost Milner and gained Stephen Ireland, jokes), he came in late, and we had some awful injuries over about three months in Autumn/Winter. FFS in that period we had a central midfield of Jonathan Hogg and Barry Bannan. But once again because we're Aston Villa we deserve to beat all the other teams in the premiership.

So many people wanted him out, called him a clown (ring any bells) – and look what happened, we got Mcleish. It's a shame, because according to the man himself we had Cabaye lined up that summer. If that was a sample of his recruitment policy, then I would have loved to have seen what else he could do. And we really did play some nice football at times under him, but again, because we didn't do it in every single game then Houllier was clueless and all the know-it-all fans could have done so much better.

Villa park is a vicious place when the fans have their back up, and we do it way too often. MON walked when Randy pulled the money (seemingly), but many fans maintained the expectations of that era, and personally I think they still do – I think that's happened this season. Because we're "Aston Villa". "Give me my club back!" "We're run by clowns".

Because we have the kind of inconsistent results now and for the last few seasons exactly in line with our spending – we're a lower mid-table team as it is. We can rise above that if we're well run (which means not losing £50million a year on wages, hence the cutbacks, hence the youthfulness of our current squad, hence the inconsistencies, hence Lambert has had a very difficult job), but with such paucity of investment that is  going to require time. I'm not talking months or weeks, but years – and that's if it's ever possible on a budget. Look at Martinez...he had about our current level of investment at Wigan and they were involved in a relegation fight nearly every year. He did eventually get them relegated too, but nobody right now would say he is a bad manager. He went to Everton (who are surely the best example of a club built slowly and patiently under Moyes – who also began his reign with seasons like the ones we have just experienced) – Martinez went to Everton, a well run club with a squad built over about a DECADE by David Moyes.

IMO the only way we'll ever sort ourselves out is by sticking by the manager – the current one – the one so many of us wanted.

[DB]

I thought Houllier was setting us on the right path and I think if we'd had 2-3 more years of him we'd be in a significantly better place.

I didn't like him but I did trust him to get it right, McLeish and Lambert I like but I never trusted McLeish to do the right thing for us and I don't trust Lambert any more.

I see what your saying. Towards the end of that season you could see it coming together....mind you, I thought that about Lambert last season.

[Monty]

For me the Houllier era was an example of how impatient and spoilt the fanbase can be.

Can you think of anything which isn't?

I really think you give the game away when you mention Martinez at Wigan, and the relegation battles he was in with spending comparative to ours. Martinez's Wigan played good football and were clearly managed by someone from the appropriate century tactics-wise, no matter how much money was spent. It was risky, and they took the odd battering, but it also kept them up for way longer than it should've and won them an FA Cup, and gave their fans a lot more to enjoy along the way. Lambert's had it tough, but he's also been exposed, and your continuing to pursue the exact same lines of argument over and over again, and ignoring all of the same objections which you've constantly ignored, is wearying.

Also, I didn't want Lambert in the first place. And who cares about keeping on the guy,apparently, whoever he is? If you're steering towards an iceberg you don't think 'well, we've started along this course so we'd better stay faithful to it' - no, you spin the bloody wheel.

[N'ZMAV]

IMO the only way we'll ever sort ourselves out is by sticking by the manager – the current one – the one so many of us wanted.

Excellent post, Rolta. Apart from this bit. I didn't want Lambert.

[FranzBiberkopf]

For me the Houllier era was an example of how impatient and spoilt the fanbase can be.

Going over old ground - but Houllier lost us the day he arrived. He gave the impression he thought we should be honoured that he'd stooped so low to take the job. He be-littled us from the off.

FFS we know are place in the footballing scheme of things. But we don't need anyone, least of all the manager, ramming it home continually in the press just how insignificant we are.

Current state of affairs....grim and getting grimmer. I dunno what odds we are to go down, but an accumulator with both us and Newcastle to go down this year appeals.