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Houllier Out And The 'R' Word? Or Back The Boss?

So, the aftermath of a poor game, or at least first half, v Arsenal.

Geard Houllier has admitted on Talksport that the Villa fans were right to boo the first half performance yesterday. Houllier said: "They were quite right, I was sharing their frustration, I was sharing everything that they could feel. It was the worst half that we`ve played here."

Nice to read the honesty at least.

Meanwhile also on Talksport, Ray Parlour said "If they play like this they could be in a relegation dog-fight this season there`s no doubt about that. There`s teams around them who are good sides and are getting points at the moment. Aston Villa were poor today."

Our forum thread on Houllier with a chance to vote you lucky, lucky people (remember, forum = adult language and strong views!) Click Here > Houllier?

I got this from Eddy1 over in Australia today... along with this great image of his car, or more importantly number plate!

"I've been reading a few blogs and there appears to be some concerns from Villa fans about the Houllier era, well its time the fans really got behind him. We all know what happened five days before the season, Kevin Mac took the helm on a temp basis before GH came in, had to build a new back room staff, get to know the players capabilities, unable to add new faces until January window.

On top of all this we've had a crippling injury toll and as Mr H put it 'sickness' also ( Gabby and Albie).

Look at the positives... Albrighton, Bannan and Clark have been outstanding, we are playing I think better football but not getting the breaks at present, yes we've had some off days but GH has said this would happen.

Transfer window coming up and I'm sure we'll see new faces in January (and probably not at the 11th hour on the final day)

Playing staff needs some pruning ... good bye to players who have been good servants yet need to move on...... Carew, Bebe, Sidwell .... players who never really made it like Salifou

Players coming back .... especially looking forward to return of Delph and Gardner.

We all know a run would have us shoot up the table, think we have a manager who will not panic.

So come on, lets get behind the team and especially Mr Houllier."

Cheers to Eddy1 for that.......................

So are we going to be in a relegation fight? I still don`t believe so. I also can`t see what else Gerard Houllier could be doing right now? We weren`t great yesterday but then we were against Manchester United, so not all is wrong is it? Also, he hasn`t had time to bring in his own players, how can he be judged on an injury ravaged team put together by another manager?

It isn`t comfortable at the moment and this season is sort of a write off already short of our Cup hopes and dreams, but are we not panicking a little bit too much? The 'r` word is being used more and more and I heard several at the Villa (and on this forum) mentioning Houllier in the same sentence as Billy McNeil. A few even said Houllier has to go. Really? Already? Without bringing in a single 'proper` signing?

Funny old game, leaving yesterday though, not many of us were laughing really were we?

Vital F1 Prediction League - Join now for Spain

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.

Writer: J P Fear

Date:Sunday November 28 2010

Time: 10:53AM

Your Comments

I still believe we just need a good striker. If we were getting goals, confidence would grow and the rest would fall in place. However...I'm getting increasingly worried about Dunne...I thought he was shockingly poor yesterday, and so slow. Cuellar and Collins in the central defence for me. As for the 'bad run'...I have no fears of a relegation fight. Our team is seriously under strength at the moment, yet we still outplayed Man Utd just a few days back, and with Albrighton and Agbonlahor back and a few others I think we will begin to climb that table sharpish. Hold your nerve Villa fans !

MASON_PARKER

You know JP FEAR everytime money is mentioned Milner 25 mill Barry12mill Young $80 mill, you seem to think its good buisness! (so do the board) I'll tell you what's not good for business, *****in rollin over whenever the cash is flashed, selling your best players and not replacing them, and then the subsequent relegation fight! Because you and the board will look like fools when we're in the Championship but with a great *****in bank balance!

eltoro

Absolutely ridiculous talk, half the squad injured and 3 points seperating 7th-15th.

goodb_2

The only people who would want houllier out are the people who sit at home playing football manager and slating everything the team and manager does. He has been here less than half a season, he didn't even have a pre season so he had to get everything right straight away. We have put in some good performances, havn't got results but come january when he gets his OWN players then hopefully it will. It is nonsense to even think about sacking him, everton always do bad start of the season but always get a top 7 finish which will be good this season considering the strength of spurs, city, arsenal etc. I think of this as a rebuild season, finding out who is good and who isnt and then houllier can go out and replace whoever isn't with better players so keep the faith and look at the bigger picture instead of the league table so early.

P.Avfc

I am nearly on the floor laughing here. As if any sane Villa fan actually wants Houllier out already. Because there's a dearth of top managers available isn't there? Dear me. Let's all get a grip and hold our nerve. We WILL be fine. its only 2 weeks since we came within a whisker of beating Utd. UTV!

Adam Deuce

What other club could cope with 9 or 10 first team squad players out injured? Not for one match, but seven or eight? Of those missing yesterday I think 8 would have been in the 18 (Cuellar, Albrighton, Petrov, Reo-Coker, Sidwell, Delph, Heskey and Agbonlahor). Of those, four maybe five would be in our starting XI. ANY team would struggle with that many players out, and it is only because of our great academy that we have been able to compete at all. Clark and Bannan will need a rest soon, and we desperately need some experience in the centre of midfield.

krfeskivilla

is everyone on here deluded, we were shocking yesterday and 4-2 papered over the cracks as it could have been 10-2. if we turn up at blues and play like that we will be a laughing stock. fear you say you cannot see what else he could have done yesterday, well not playing a 37yr old has been would have been a start and playing people in there correct positions, like downing on the left. the club is going downhill fast and people just seem resigned to it

madforit

Houllier is going nowhere. Our owner gave him a lucrative, three-year contract. Relegation is unlikely, but nothing can be taken for granted. West Ham are terrible, and Wigan look particularly vulnerable, but after that, though there are plenty of poor teams in the Premiership, we are one of them. As such, I'd say we have a one in ten chance of going down; unlikely, but not impossible.

Albarnista

Milner 25m and Barry 12m was bloody good business. Not sure what you're suggesting eltoro - we should have held onto them and let them run down their contract, put no effort in whatsoever, then leave for nothing? Doesn't sound that appealing to me! 37m transfer kitty and rid of two players who don't want to play for the Villa sounds like a better option to me - that IS good business.

AVFC4ME

Can tell u now why he has to have the 1 after avfc!! Cause I got the avfc plate lol

Pooley79

what i'm suggesting is, you can't keep selling quality items and replacing them with poor quality items, you will lose customers, and the proof was there for all to see yesterday with 38,550 against arsenal. and has for your remark of 37mil, don't make me laugh, you pull that one outta arse, 12 months ago we where on a level with spurs, we sell and don't replace and the buy, and gulf now is *****in huge, now thats NOT good business

eltoro

*they buy

eltoro

What you are forgetting Eltoro is that we missed the opportunity to spend money in the transfer market this year. So we had no opportunity to bring in new players. And as AVFC4ME says - those players were winding down their contracts. To sell them for a decent price was lucky because city could have waited a year and had them for free. Can't replace good players with no money.

Astriel

why have we no money! we knew barry and milner we're leaving,months and months before they actually went, I said on this site last febuary that we had no money to spend in the last transfer window, has reported in the daily telegraph! thats why MON left because milner was being sold against his wishes, and a player being brought in (ireland) he never wanted!

eltoro

Chelsea lose 2 players - Lampard and Terry and get 5 points from 4 games or 4 from 5, not sure which. And that is with their squad and strength in depth. Its time some people got real and supported those playing instead of talking nonsense about GH having to go and relegation. Adam Deuce is there room on your floor for another?

Gordonsleftboot

bit of a stupid post eltoro, how the feck will I look stupid if Villa get relegated? The Barry business was good business, good for him as he wanted out after years of good service and the £ was good for a player with one year left on his contract. Milner... would rather him still here but he wanted to go, they would not be bullied and we got top price. If that is rolling over then I'm sorry, we disagree. £80m for Young? How would that NOT be good business? That would buy four top players.

The Fear

oh and btw, where the hell do I mention those transfers in the above article?

The Fear

he has to have a full team to pick from madforit though surely? I'm not saying he IS the new messiah, I'm saying he has to have a chance. Pires wouldn't be here if not for the freakish injury list and at least GH made the change at half time when he saw it wasn't working (understatement)

The Fear

total rubbish there is no money and if there wasn't then MON could have left in May, been vocal about why and everyone would have understood. No money my arse, they've spent millions and half of that was sitting on the bench or leaving on loan/on frees etc.

The Fear

Well I did wonder how long it would take. Of course we should change our manager - that always works, doesn't it? My idea would be to get somebody who knows absolutely everything about the game - Albie, for instance - to go in and sort it all out. Now. Why not? Anybody can do this premiership manager jobby - we all do it, every week. Of course, you can't bring in players until January and you have to deal with over half the first XI out injured, but that's no problem, is it? But to be serious - I was never one of the MON out brigade, as you know, because changing managers is (almost) never a good idea. Gerard Houllier is our manager, and we should do him the courtesy of giving him enough time to start building a team before we boot him out. Fickle? Villa fans? Nah mate.

BobTheBuilder

I honestly feel really bad for GH... This guy deserves our support. Simply because he knew what a ***** spot we we're in when he signed on... then to make it all worse all stars bar our 2 best - Stu and Ash have been injured or are currently injured. You can't blood half a team of newly promoted youngsters and expect them to succeed. Our strong defense was a product of MON playing the same team and formation week in week out. No one can deny that. They got used to one another and learned each others game. things have changed too fast too quickly. I don't want the villa to get relegated and i hope we don't. But maybe its time to revert back to the 4-4-2 for a time just to get back on track.

Zarch

by the way love the picture... I'm trying to coerce the missus to let me have "Mighty Villa" on our license plate! = )

Zarch

45 minutes of apathy and people are calling for the manager's head!!! It was the player's who couldn't be arsed (even the warm up looked half pace), GH changed it at half time - not just like for like but the formation as well as the personnel, he then changed it again when he brought on ireland. In the second half we were the better side and only conceded the fourth because we were playing Dunne at centre forward chasing the game. FFS it was a shocking 45 minutes but thats all it was, I've seen worse and for a lot longer under recent Villa managers that most on here would consider successes (MON, Gregory, Little, Atkinson, Saunders) never mind the lame ducks mentioned above.

AVbornandbred

i saw the title of this article and at first i was laughing, then i realised that it was more...irritating. i have to say that anyone who thinks we are going to be relegated is a complete and utter plum. sooo many injuries and therefore sooo many good players to come back. potential signings in january. the fact that we've played much better than results suggest (most of the time, anyway). and if you are already deciding not to back houllier, given his difficult circumstances, please do us all a favour and never ever turn up at villa park again.

ric112

Spot on AVbornandbred!! (and of course JF)

nazvfc

avbornand bred, this was not the only shocking 45 mins this season, blackburn was as bad, stoke was poor, sunderland first half, everton where we should have lost. but all said and done the arsenal game is gone and now we have to get behind the manager and every player for weds night. GH would not be my choice as you have all probably guessed but we are stuck with him so need to get behind him until we see what money he gets and who he buys in January

madforit

JP if you can point back to any moment in time were as you say ' That would buy four top players' then i'll kiss your arse has an apology, when have we EVER bought 4 top players in swoop, answer, never, so has you put it, feckin prove it and i'll feckin shutup and the only point i was trying to make is, its not always in the best interest of the club to sell whenever a player wants out! somewhere along the line we has a club need to make a stand, or we may never get out of the position we're in now, if you feel different fine but my responce was to you saying eveythings good buisness, i'm sick of hearing it

eltoro

Salted I would hope!

Eltoro, help JF out....point to the last time we sold a player for £80m, help narrow it down. I'm ignoring the quantum chaos of signing players by the proceeds of a player we aren't selling, but might in the future. Define top though, BFR put together a top team, Monny made some 'top' signings by the standard definition, so did JG.

mike_field

I cant believe that some people are getting on HOU's back already. I think that we should give the bloke a chance, he hasn't even been able to pick the same side from one week to another. He has had so much bad look with injuries, sir alex or even Muriniho, would have struggled to do much better. Lets not forget its hard enough for a manager to take on another managers team let alone have all of these set backs, just when he thinks he's got two players that can work together one of them gets injured. Look at were Liverpool and Everton are right now, and they have not had the injuries we have had. We have got to give the man a chance. I say GET OFF HOU'S BACK AND SUPPORT HIM.

shandy-bass

wise words Ted. Think Houllier (or almost anyone else?) was on to a hiding to nothing coming after MON because MON joined with at least 95% (?) support and excitement, maybe we all (along with the takeover) started to believe a bit too much?!? Fingers crossed things click sooner rather than later though, starting Wednesday night !

The Fear

Yeah but you must agree Fear, it was a good bit of business. pmsl

Villan Of The North

I'm all for giving GH time if you read my earlier post, I also wrote on this very site how fantastic we played Vs Man U, it was just what you said about Ash - you wrote '$80 (yes dollar sign) is good business' it just got my back up, when a club is struggling like we are at the moment, I can't for the life of me see how selling any player for any amount of money is good business let alone one as good as Ash!

eltoro

Erm Eltoro, are you confusing articles mate. Read back up, no wonder JF's befuddled here - or at least I am PMSL

mike_field

easy to be confused to be fair, I don't remember and if I put a $ sign then wow, not exactly the first mistake I'll have made! I can't see in what world £80m for Ash wouldn't be good business if it was re-invested? Not saying sell him but if anyone came in with that price, I'd drive the dude wherever needed and take 4 x £20m players. That would progress us, he isn't 'that' good, he could be great but £80m? Come on!

The Fear

JF, lol you hadn't posted before eltoro named you in his comment, and he was the one to use the $ sign in his post. 5 posts in, hence why I'm wondering if Eltoro has crossed posts or something like that or just done one of my historic after match rants PMSL

mike_field

Any team with A. Young, Bannan, Ireland, Delfounso in the middle is going to get over-run by anybody wanting to put their foot in. This is not the managers fault, it's simply that we've got too many injuries in the same part of the pitch. It could be argued that for large parts of this little barren run we've played batter football, with the reserves, than we did for the last 18 months of MON's reign. Keep the faith, don't lose your nerve, GH is a good manager.

lorenzo

Ok, I've read all the posts on this article and the general consensus is that NO Villa Fans want GH out and ALL think that this suggestion is ludicrous! Anyone disagree????

AVFC4ME

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