So, that’s that then. After weeks of speculation and unconfirmed reports, it’s finally been announced that Gerard Houllier will be leaving Aston Villa, less than nine months after signing a three-year deal, back in early September.
Certainly, the news does not come as a big surprise to any fans of the club. Houllier’s past health problems have been well documented and, after this most recent scare, it was unlikely that the club would allow the Frenchman to return to work, especially after the fairly lacklustre season that Villa have just experienced.
Going back to the end of August, when rumours of Houllier’s imminent appointment first began to surface, it’s fair to say that reaction was fairly mixed. Despite enjoying early success with Liverpool, winning five trophies in the space of a year, Houllier left Liverpool on somewhat of a subdued note. Many labelled his tactics as too negative and there was widespread displeasure with the quality of his signings, case in the point; the £4.5 million spent on former Lille midfielder Bruno Cheyrou, who, though hailed as the “New Zidane”, would go on to make just 31 uninspiring league appearances for the club, between 2002 and 2004. Granted, since his Liverpool tenure, Houllier had gone on to win back-to-back league titles with Lyon but still, while some viewed his appointment as a solid hiring, there was an overwhelming sense that fans simply viewed him as an uninspiring and dull choice; a manager who, though far from incompetent, was hardly the man to steer the club forward for years to come.
In retrospect, ‘uninspiring’ would arguably be one the most fitting words used to describe Houllier’s reign with the club. After spending much of the campaign around the bottom half of the league, Villa somehow managed to finish off their season in 9th place, rising five places on the final day, after a 2-1 win over Liverpool, overseen by assistant Gary McAllister, who took charge of the club for the final three games of the season. Of course, that 9th place finish far from tells the full story of Aston Villa’s season, one which was seen as largely a disappointment, compared to pre-season predictions, and which saw the club flirting with relegation up until the final few games.
After what was a relatively slow start under Houllier, results on the pitch never really picked up and there were several key moments throughout the season where the Frenchman either angered fans or displayed a lack of control of the dressing room. First there was his behaviour during the Liverpool game at Anfield in December, that which drew the first calls for his sacking from some fans, before a defeat to rivals Birmingham City in the League Cup further infuriated supporters. Falling-outs with the likes of Habib Beye and Stephen Warnock followed and the strange choice to field a weakened team against Man City in the February FA Cup tie, that which resigned the club to another season without silverware, was criticized by all circles of the football media. The drama within Aston Villa reached its height in March, with the drinking escapades of Richard Dunne and James Collins, their subsequent falling out with fitness coach Robert Duverne (he who famously became involved in a furious row with then France captain Patrice Evra, during their the 2010 World Cup), and the alleged mutiny within the squad, which may or may not have occurred. A 1-0 defeat at home to Wolves saw a large banner unveiled at the Holte End, calling for Houllier’s departure, aggressive chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” and choruses of boos from large sections of the crowd at the final whistle. By April, the stress was visibly taking its toll on Houllier and the health scare he suffered on April 20th was sadly all too predictable, such was the pressure that was building upon him.
All this of course made Lerner and co.’s decision to depart with the former Liverpool manager that much easier, though to be completely fair to Houllier, he was not exactly presented with the easiest of jobs upon his arrival. Despite the lofty expectations, after a sixth place finish the previous season, Martin O’Neill’s sudden departure, just five days before the new season, left Villa in a highly difficult situation. O’Neill, for all his plaudits, had left the club with a wafer thin squad and a wage budget so overstretched that it was near impossible to bring in quality players, without offloading some faces first. While O’Neill had complained about the lack of transfer funds available to him, it was largely his financial mismanagement, massively overspending on transfer fees and player wages, which had led to Lerner cutting back his investment in the club, making the initial job for Houllier all the more difficult. Quite simply, the squad required (and still does require) a large overhaul, something which just cannot be accomplished in less than a year. Promising moves were made in January, with the £6.5 million signing of Jean Makoun and the much talked about £18 million capture of Darren Bent from Sunderland, a move heavily scrutinized at the time and hastily labelled a ‘panic buy’, but which arguably saved the club from relegation and now looks to be a significant bargain. Had Houllier been given the offseason to further refurbish his squad, one has to wonder what moves could have been made in the transfer market and how a full preseason of preparation could have helped bring the side together; questions which we will frustratingly never now know the answer to. Ultimately, Houllier’s short tenure with Aston Villa was largely a disappointment but it also was far from the worst football fans of the club have seen in recent years; one need only remember back to Graeme Taylor’s second stint in charge of the club and the end of David O’Leary’s reign to realise that. Much as ‘uninspiring’ would be a good word to describe the past season, ‘forgettable’ would be another, and in a few years’ time Villa fans will most likely be struggling to recall many significant moments from Houllier’s largely underwhelming campaign as manager.
Of course, with Houllier now gone, the attention now turns to the quest to find his successor. Gary McAllister showed signs of promise during his short spell in charge, though is evidently far below the standards the club should be looking for. The Scot may well have interest in the job and could yet prove to be Premier League managerial material in the not too distant future, though at this point is far too raw and inexperienced for the post. Instead, the question surrounding him will be whether he remains with the club once a new manager is brought in, or whether the new boss will wish to bring in his own backroom staff, as so often happens.
Looking to the genuine candidates for the position, there are a whole host of big names out there on the market, any of which Villa would be wise to pursue. The likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benitez, Claudio Ranieri and Louis van Gaal, are all ready and available, though whether any of those names would have interest in the job at this current moment in time is debatable.
Recent rumours however have heavily linked the club with a move for Mark Hughes, reports today going as far as to say a deal is currently being worked on, though the club have been quick to quash such claims. Certainly, I would have real concern with such appointment, not necessarily because of any dislike for Hughes himself but simply because it would signal yet another largely uninspiring and unambitious hire. Hughes, as a manager, shares many traits with O’Neill and the apprehension over his appointment would be that we would see ‘more of the same’, with the club left to stagnate yet more under his leadership. It’s not just Hughes I would have this concern with either; I’d have similar concern with the likes of Steve McClaren or even David Moyes. Ultimately, Villa are a club which for too long have been wading around in the upper-middle tier of the Premier League and a genuine effort needs to be made to push onwards. For that to be realized, the club must make an ambitious appointment, a manager who is familiar with success and has achieved things at the highest level. With that in mind, the recently sacked Ancelotti would clearly be a perfect candidate for the vacant position, someone who’s credential are unmatched by many and who is already familiar with the league. Furthermore, with rumours surrounding the futures of Stewart Downing and Ashley Young, the hiring of a highly regarded figure such as Ancelotti would surely be a valuable incentive for such players to remain with the club.
My opinion however will ultimately have no influence on the Aston Villa board’s choice of manager. Fans of the club can only hope that the likes of Lerner and Paul Faulkner approach the decision with ideas of progress in mind and appoint a candidate who can genuinely mould Aston Villa into a club which can consistently compete with the teams at the top of the table.
Nationality: Italian
